Headed For New Orleans
by honorableotp
Summary: In which things go differently than they were planned. An AU to the show itself as the way I could see it go if Klaroline were to happen. From the scene where Caroline is driving to see Klaus on. Sorry, I'm bad at summaries. Please just read the first chapter and see what you think {I do not own or claim to own The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, or any of their characters}
1. Driving Daydreams

Chapter One

"Mommy?"

"Yeah, I just got on I-20."

"Okay, call me when you get there."

"What about Stefan?" She paused before asking, her voice almost breaking when she said his name.

"Just go." Alaric's voice was forceful.

"Okay… um, goodbye." She hung up the phone.

"Mommy?"

"Shh, don't wake up your sister."

"Where're we goin'?" Caroline paused a moment, looking at her daughter before her eyes went back to the road, and answered with what almost could be considered triumph in her voice.

"To New Orleans. To visit mommy's friend." The road stretched on in front of them.

To think that just over 3 years ago, all Caroline was worried about was the fact that her best friend is in a coffin until her other best friend lived her life, and died. And it's worse for Bonnie, seeing as she'll never get to see Elena again. At least Caroline will live forever, at least she'll get spend a few more lifetimes with Elena. And of course, now that's threatened by some crazy vampire huntress. And sweet, innocent, loyal Matt Donovan is working with her. It really has all gone to hell. So what's her solution? Run straight into the devil's arms.

 _Perhaps one day, in a year, or even a century, you'll turn up at my door, and let me show you what the world has to offer._

His voice rang in her head. When he had said that to her, his face so close to hers, his hand on her lower back, she swore she agreed.

 _Of course I will. I can already tell, it's going to be me and Niklaus Mikaelson, light and dark, king and queen, angel and devil, yin and yang._

She didn't say it aloud. She's glad she didn't now, it was a dreamer's thought. Before the twins, she used to imagine what would have happened if she had said that. Tyler was undoubtedly eavesdropping, so he would have heard. She imagined his face, betrayal and disgust written across it. She would stop imagining it then. But when she imagined Klaus' reaction, she smiled. He would've stopped dancing, surprised for a moment. He would look at her, and his eyes would say everything. He would smile big enough for his dimples to show, and he would spin her around expertly, and unlike the first time, when she was so mad at him, because he can make her unmad at him in a matter of one and a half minutes, she wouldn't resist. Maybe they would sway until the song ended, just a little too close. Maybe he would kiss the top of her head before he sent her back to Tyler.

She thinks about Klaus more than she'd like to admit. His smile, his eyes, his body, his arms around her, his art, his dimples, his tattoos. She'd stopped imagining. But she'd never stop thinking.

Caroline's eyes flickered to the back seat for a moment. Liz and Josie were both asleep now. She continued to drive, her thoughts desperately trying to get away from the man she was going to see in about 12 hours. Her eyes flickered all over the road.

 _I'm going to see Niklaus in less than 12 hours._ Caroline thought. And then, on a completely unrelated note she wondered _How do I look?_

Caroline realized she was nervous. Her grip tightened on the steering wheel, and she swallowed.

This was going to be a long drive.


	2. Welcome to New Orleans

New Orleans is beautiful. Gorgeous, in fact. But it smells awful, especially for her. She took in the historical buildings as she drove along. The girls were screaming the soundtrack to _Tangled_ in the background, and Caroline hoped she she didn't look as frazzled as she felt. She had been driving non stop for 13 hours with two three year old girls, whose lungs were apparently made of reinforced steel.

 _Maybe it's their magic._ Caroline thought, not for the first time in the past three years. She knows it's not, magic doesn't usually work like that, but she was always surprised by the girls' screaming abilities.

Alaric and Caroline knew the girls were witches, but they weren't sure whether they were like Bonnie, with a connection to nature and ancestors, or whether they were like the heretics (not being vampires, of course), with a magic-syphoning power.

Caroline saw the number nailed to a house, the number that was on the paper in her hand. House was an understatement. It was three stories, though most buildings were in New Orleans. However, The bottom level wasn't shops, it was part of the house. And something told her all those windows weren't looking into separate apartments.

It took her quite a while to find a parking space. There weren't really parking lots, people just park on spots near the curb, which might explain why the streets were full of people walking. She let out an exasperated groan when Josie's favorite song came on, and prayed that she find a parking space fast. When she did, she sighed in relief.

"Okay, girls, let's go meet Mommy's friend."

"Yay! We get to get out of the car!" Honestly, the girls had been pretty good, seeing as they weren't able to pee or eat or really move around for the past 13 hours. Caroline was actually pretty lucky that all she had to deal with was some questionable music taste and terrible singing. Caroline touched up her makeup. She wasn't sure why, it's not like her coming into his house looking half-decent would distract Klaus from the fact that she has two toddlers with her.

"Yep! Let's go." Caroline got out of the car, and put the girls in their stroller, with some difficulty and complaints. Normally she would just let them walk alongside her, but there were people everywhere here, and she didn't want to lose them in the crowd. She was pushing a stroller down the sidewalk, suitcase dragging behind her, when she heard jazz music.

 _Caroline… I'm standing in one of my favorite places in the world, surrounded by food, music, art, culture… and all I can think about is how much I want to show it to you. Maybe one day you'll let me._

There it was again; his voice in her head. It was constantly there. She remembered when she listened to that message. Her heart rate sped up when she saw his name come up on her phone. She panicked, and sent it to voicemail right away. She listened to it many times over when she got home. It had sounded like there was a parade in the background. Maybe there had been. She'd wanted to run to him then, wanted to let him show her everything he'd promised. But things were happening. She was needed. But that had always been the case, hadn't it? She had sat on her bedroom floor, back against the door and knees up and cried. She had cried because she couldn't just run away, she cried because she couldn't go to Klaus, and because she couldn't be with him. Sometimes when she looks back, she thinks she was crying because of how much she wanted those things. She's not supposed to want to be with a man like Niklaus Mikaelson, she's not supposed to want to abandon her friends.

The girls were chatting happily away in the stroller, playing with dolls on the little table in front of them. That was the nice thing about having twins; they entertain each other. Caroline loves the girls, but sometimes she needs a moment to herself.

She was at his door. She was panicking.

 _Why am I panicking? I'm not in love with him anymore. Wait, I was never in love with him. It was just my own selfish lust, and it was just me thinking that I could change him._

Caroline lifted and brought the heavy knocker to the door three times. She peeked in the window. She couldn't see much, but the hallway from the door to what she assumed was the main room was about the size of the doors, and wasn't too long. She saw a maid coming towards her and quickly stopped looking. The door opened she looked at her expectantly.

"I'm here to see Klaus." The woman seemed to consider Caroline for a moment, and then seeming to decide she wasn't a threat, nodded and held the door open.

"Please, come in." She led Caroline down the hall, into a grand main room. She could see that all the other levels had indoor balconies looking down to this main room. multiple staircases let up to the second and third floors. "May I ask, what is your name?"

"Oh, I'm Caroline, and this is Josie and Liz." The girls said hi at the same woman looked down and smiled at them. "What's your name?" She asked, forever amiable. The maid looked taken aback by the blonde woman's friendliness, but answered anyways.

"I'm Emeline."

"It's very nice to meet you, Emeline."

"It's lovely to meet you, as well, Caroline. Please, stay here, and I'll fetch Mr. Mikaelson." Emeline smiled and walked towards a staircase, while Caroline spun around a few times, taking in the grand building around her. Then a familiar voice floated to her ears.

"Careful, love. You'll make yourself dizzy." Caroline whipped around, and saw Klaus standing at the top of a staircase. He was smiling like it was the best day of his life.

"Klaus." She breathed out, a bit embarrassed that he had caught her spinning around like a bumbling idiot.

"And to think," He said, starting down the stairs, "I thought you had forgotten about me."

 _I could never._ "You don't call, you don't write." He was down the stairs now, and walking towards her. "But it seems I was wrong." He was next to her now, standing just a little too close, just like always. His eyes were bright, and he smelled different here. Like… baby food?

"It wouldn't be the first time." He chuckled a bit at this.

"So, you're here at my doorstep, just like I predicted all those years ago. But something tells me," He looked at the girls. "You're not here for me to show you the world."

"I need your help." The strain in her voice was clear now, and his smile fell a bit.

"Of course, love." Of _course_ he would help her. Even if he had a child of his own now, even if he had his own issues. Looking at her now, beautiful as ever, looking at him pleadingly, he didn't think he would ever say no to her.


	3. Bourbon on Bourbon Street

"Please, come sit, I'll tell the help to take care of these little ones. We have a lot of catching up to do, love."

" _The help_ ," Caroline said, already annoyed, "is named Emeline. And she's very nice. But I'll take care of them. Do you have a bathroom I can use?"

 _She won't let them out of her sight._ Klaus noted, intrigued.

"Even better; I have a changing table." He said, smug smile on his face. Which didn't make much sense, seeing as the girls were obviously old enough to be potty trained, and when three year olds wear diapers, you change a three year old's diaper with them standing. Of course, she never expected him to have any knowledge about babies, though he could have just smelled that at least one of the girls had soiled diapers that Caroline had decided to use so she wouldn't have to stop during the drive down. Still, she wondered.

 _Why would he have a changing table? It's probably just a fancy antique. Or maybe he has it for guests with children, though I'm sure that would be all Elijah._

He knew she would figure it out sooner or later. He had mentioned that bit about the changing table on purpose, trying to get her to question. He did love it when her eyes lit up after a realization.

 _"Just to be clear, I'm too smart to be seduced by you."_

 _"Well, that's why I like you."_

"Okay…" Caroline sounded unsure. "Let me get them out of the stroller." She turned.

"Okay, girls, we're going to go to the bathroom, alright?" She bent down, starting get the girls out. Klaus tilted his head, smiling slightly, observing Caroline Forbes as a mother. It was extraordinary, but so was she. He couldn't help imagining her with Hope.

"Okay mommy. But me and Lizzie are hungry, can we have a snack?" Klaus hadn't been formally introduced to these little girls yet, but he's guessing the one Caroline is pulling out of the stroller wasn't Lizzie, seeing as she had just said "me and Lizzie". Caroline was standing up now, little girl on her hip, looking at her, smiling.

"Of course you can, Josie. Even if mommy's friend doesn't have any snacks for us, he'll go and get some." She glanced at Klaus then, and he was chuckling, but he nodded. "Would you like to meet my friend Klaus, Josie?" Josie looked over to him, and then very decidedly, nodded up and down twice.

"Okay, then!" Caroline passed Josie over to Klaus and he took her without blinking, and smiling at her. This caused Caroline to pause.

 _Does he...? There's no way._

"Hey there, Josie, I'm Klaus. I'm going to help your mommy for a while, which means you and your sister get to stay here for a while." He was practically baby talking. Which was extremely strange, but Caroline's heart was melting. She turned away fast, but she could here the two talking back and forth. She did her best to block it out as she attempted to get Lizzie out of the stroller.

Niklaus had turned his attention to Caroline, as Josie was distracted by his necklaces. She was good at this; being a mom.

 _Of course she is. She's mom material. Bringing clementines to little league games and organizing play dates and all that. But this isn't the life she deserves. Being a mom. It's a life that traps you. Just because she's good at it doesn't mean she should do it. She'd be doing everything, then. And she can't even have children, so whose kids are these?_

And then he saw it. It was just a little flash, but it was enough to make him notice. At first he thought maybe it was just her daylight ring, but that was on her pointer finger. No, this was a different ring. _The_ ring. An engagement ring, diamond and gold band.

 _The diamond is too small, it should be bigger._ Was Klaus' first though. He knows she doesn't care about that, but she deserves so much better. His next thought was, _Who is it?_

Elijah chose this time to walk in.

"Caroline!" He said, surprised, "How lovely to see you again." Caroline looked up, with Liz finally on her hip. She broke into a smile. Out of all of the Mikaelsons, he was surely her favorite. Or at least she pretends, because he's everyone else's favorite.

"Elijah, still donning the suits, I see."

"And you're still…" he looked at the child on her hip. "You're still blonde." Caroline laughed. "At least she gets my jokes. I would ask what you're doing here, but I think we all know." There was a joking tone to his voice as he looked between her and Klaus. Caroline was shocked. He seemed much happier. Now that she thought about it so did Klaus. She prayed her coming here wouldn't hurt them.

"Yes, well, your jokes usually undetectable, brother. Would you mind entertaining these little ones while Caroline and I talk?" Klaus asked, referring to Josie and Liz. Caroline looked at Klaus pointedly. "Caroline, it's Elijah. He will protect them with his life, et cetera et cetera."

 _I need to talk to her alone._

"Do not 'et cetera et cetera ' when it comes to my children, Klaus!"

 ** _Her_** _children? Did she really adopt? She was just going into college!_

"My brother's apologies Caroline. But he's right-"

"As usual." Caroline and Elijah both rolled their eyes, Elijah a little more dignified in his motions than Caroline.

"No harm will come to them while they are in my care." Caroline looked at him searchingly. She desperately needed a break, and she knew Elijah is telling the truth.

"Fine. But you have to change them, and feed them, and tire them out. They've been in a car for 13 hours."

"Of course." Elijah said, nodding his head, taking Liz from Caroline. She heard him saying something, but she had turned around and come face to face, and very close, to Klaus. His blue eyes weren't breaking contact, and every sound around her faded out.

 _It's a challenge. He's always trying to establish dominance._

 _It's so amazing to see her eyes again._

"Mommy, who's that?" Josie said suddenly, tugging at the collar of her mom's shirt, tearing the intense staring contest apart, and pointing towards Elijah, who was looking upon the situation with a knowing gleam in his eyes.

"That's Uncle Elijah. He's gonna go play with you and Liz for a while, okay?"

"Okay!" Josie said, eager.

 _She introduced Elijah as 'Uncle', but not me. Hmm…_

Elijah walked over and took Josie from Klaus.

"Let's go upstairs, okay girls?"

"Okay!" Liz was looking at Caroline, but Josie was ready for anything, apparently, "Bye-bye Klaus!" she said, waving at him. He smiled big, causing Caroline to all but stare at him, her mouth agape as he waved back.

"Farewell, Princess Josie and Princess Elizabeth, I hope to have the pleasure of seeing you again."

"Mommy?" Liz suddenly said, voice small.

"Where's daddy?" Klaus took an interest at this.

"At home, sweetie."

"Well when is he coming here?" Caroline looked at Klaus, who was looking at her, eyebrow raised, before she turned back to Liz.

"He's not, sweetie, we're just on a vacation for a little while. Daddy has to… work, okay? We'll see him soon, I promise."

"Okay, but I miss him."

"I know sweetie, so do I." Klaus looked away.

"Bye-bye!" Elijah had started to back up, towards to staircase.

"It was wonderful to see you again, Caroline." He was walking up now, and Liz was laying sleepily on his shoulder, while Josie was playing with his tie. Caroline turned towards Klaus.

"So, what is it you need help with, love?" He asked, arms crossed. Caroline was taken aback.

"You don't want to know about..." she motioned towards the staircase, "them?" She felt stupid as soon as the words left her mouth. Of course he already knew all about that. He keeps tabs on everyone.

"Oh, I do. Believe me. But you need help, and that's what's most important right now."

 _If he wants to know about them, maybe he doesn't_ _isn't keeping tabs. But why would he do that?_

Caroline was startled by how much the thought that he hadn't been keeping track of her these past five years hurt her. It's just she had always believed that he was there, that if she were ever about to die, he would show up, just like he did at her graduation.

 _Caroline could hear Alaric's voice over the phone, frantic, as she hung up another unanswered phone call to Klaus._

 _"_ _ **Stefan-**_ _" He started, but he was quickly cut off by a loud, painful, high-pitched ringing, as Stefan, Caroline, and Elena all doubled over in pain, clutching their heads._

 _"Remember us, Caroline?" Asked a cruel voice behind the three. Of course she did, she had killed her. And her eleven friends, which was something that haunted Caroline every day. She would have been on her knees apologizing, begging for forgiveness, telling the witch how she wasn't a killer, but she panicked and did what her_ _instincts had told her to; save Bonnie, but she was in too much pain, the sound not only hurting her ears, but acting as a hammer smashing through her brain over and over. She could sense the witches, and their power, as they stalked up behind the trio, murmuring incantations. She could almost see the leader's face twisted cruelly, her hand outstretched to channel her power. Fear filled her, and then she sensed a familiar presence, and heard something whirling through the air before there was a squishing sound, and the incantations stopped, as well as the pain. She heard Elena gasping for breath, and she was as well, straightening herself out, already recovering from the magic -induced aneurysm. Then she heard it, the most glorious thing she has probably ever heard._

 _"There are plenty more of these to go around." Klaus all but growled out, flipping a graduation cap in his hand. Caroline hadn't laid eyes on him yet, but from her hunched over position, she could see the witch's head clean off her body, bloodied graduation cap lying next to her two parts, obviously thrown. "Who's next?" The witches didn't have anew leader step forwards, they all looked to Klaus Mikaelson with fear. "I can do this all day." Caroline finally straightened out and turned to face Klaus, and she smiled at him, no teeth, she couldn't act as excited as she felt, but it was definitely a smile. The corners of his lips turned up in response, as much as he would let himself smile while he was threatening the witches._

It startled her how much that scared her, that he might not always be around. And there was also the fact that he was focusing on her need help, rather than her having children. She definitely _didn't_ want to kiss him right now. She looked at the floor, but Klaus pretended not to notice, instead turned and motioned for her to follow.

"Follow me, love. Would you like some bourbon?" He led her into a room with antique couches, and Caroline was afraid to sit on them, they looked so old, but also in such pristine condition.

"Yes, please." She breathed out the please, which made Klaus ache. She was going to need this. He handed her a glass of bourbon.

"You can sit, Caroline." She sat down and smoothed her hands over her jeans nervously, and he sat on the couch across from her, leaning back lazily, head tilting as he observed her.

"So, Klaus, how have things been?" He smiled at her.

"Oh, you know the Mikaelsons. Never a dull moment." She barked out a sarcastic laugh, raising her eyebrows for a few seconds as she does when she's talking about something that slightly annoys her.

 _God, he missed this. Missed her._

"I'm sure." She took a sip of bourbon, letting it burn down her throat. She usually barely feels alcohol go down her throat, especially since she hasn't been near Damon's stash of extra strong bourbon in years.

 _"Oh my god, this is strong!" Caroline exclaimed, coughing._

 _"That's what you get for drinking my bourbon before you're 21. Besides, it's made for vampires." Damon said from the couch._

 _"You can do that? Have bourbon_ _made for vampires?"_

 _"Sure, I just go to the best bourbon people in Virginia and have them make me around 50 bottles of almost 100% alcoholic bourbon." He tapped his head, "I use compulsion." Caroline instinctively reached up to feel the bite marks on her neck. She was compelled to keep quiet about everything Damon tells her. She also has to wear ugly scarves every day. It's a wonder her mom hasn't asked if she's hiding hickeys yet._

She guesses Klaus has the same method of acquiring bourbon that Damon does.

"So, Caroline, what's troubling you? After all these years, what has brought you to my door? Don't tell me you missed me?" Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Someone's after Stefan." Klaus' face fell.

 _Is he the one who gave her that ring?_

"And why is that a problem?"

"Wasn't he your drinking buddy in the 50's or something?"

"It was the 20's, actually. And that was no-humanity Stefan. Completely different guy now. If I remember correctly, the last time Stefan and I even talked was when I was pinning him against a tree, arguing about whether we should let the witches kill Bonnie or not." Caroline scowled, and took another sip.

"I should've known, you don't care about anyone but yourself."

"Now, you know that's not true, love. I care for my family. And you, of course. I care about you." Caroline blinked in surprise. She shouldn't be surprised, they all knew. Ric knew, he's the one who sent her here, and it was Damon's idea. Klaus Mikaelson would always protect Caroline Forbes.

 _That doesn't necessarily mean he cares about you._ Had always been her train of thought. Which didn't pack much of a punch, seeing as she held no other use to him.

"Klaus, I was hoping you'd help me eliminate that threat, but seeing as that's not going to happen, I still need somewhere to hideout. _We_ need a place to hideout." She was trying to keep things professional, but how could she, really? She was literally using his feelings towards her for protection. He knows she has no other choice, but it still stings a little. Which he'd never admit.

 _I want to stay here. With you. I'm safe with you._ Her unsaid words ran through her head.

"Why do you need to hide when it's Stefan this person is after? And who is it, and why are they after the lovely Stefan Salvatore?" He sipped his bourbon.

"She used me against Stefan. She made me repeat the same message over and over to the camera at the newsroom I worked at, after she attacked me, of course."

"She attacked you?" The anger was clear in Klaus' voice.

"Yes, Klaus. She attacked me. And to answer your other questions, she's after Stefan because Stefan came to meet the end of her sword, and now she won't ever stop hunting him. He's been running for 3 years." Klaus' face was beginning to fall. Before Caroline could start talking again, Klaus interrupted.

"Rayna Cruz is after you and your friends?" There was a quiet rage in his voice. "You brought your problems with Rayna FUCKING CRUZ," He threw his bourbon across the room, and he was standing now, and spitting, and yelling. Caroline didn't flinch. "into _my_ city, possibly putting my _family_ in danger. For what? Stefan fucking Salvatore? Is he the one who put that pretty little, emphasis on the word little, diamond on your finger? Is that why you think he's worth putting my entire life near Rayna Cruz?" Caroline was taken aback. Klaus was yelling again, but she was planning on letting him for a little while longer, because she knows him. She knows he needs to yell and be angry.

 _He's jealous._ Was her first thought when he had said that part about Stefan. But then, _No he's not, why the hell would he be jealous?_

 _You're jealous._ Was Klaus' first thought after that bit about the youngest Salvatore brother flew out of his mouth. But then, _What reason do you have to be jealous? You left. You promised her you would never return if only she were honest with you. You have no claim over her._ Klaus knew words were still flying out of his mouth. Caroline never flinched, not once. Even when he was an inch from her face, spit landing on her.

He never threatened her. Anyone else, he would have threatened them. Perhaps they would already be dead. But not her. He couldn't.

After what he supposes was a minute and a half of yelling, she spoke.

" _Klaus._ " She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down, since he was standing now. She looked him in the eye. "Klaus. I am terrified. I am terrified for Stefan. I am terrified for Bonnie, and Enzo, and Ric, and Matt, and Damon, and even Elena. I am terrified for myself and my children. I came to you because you will take care of me. You'll always take care of me. Please, Klaus." His eyes were softening as she was speaking. He breathed out and sat in the opposite corner of the couch she was sitting in, looking at the floor.

 _Goddamn her. God-fucking-damn her._

They sat in a comfortable silence for a good 10 minutes, and Caroline could practically hear the gears turning in his head. He finally looked to his right, observing her, and she was observing everything but him.

 _She hasn't figured it out yet. Maybe she has. She probably has._

"I have a daughter." Caroline's head whipped around to face him, blue eyes wide.


	4. The Safest Place in New Orleans

"I have a daughter."

"I heard you, and I thought maybe, but… wow." Klaus looked back at the floor, fingertips touching, and touching his mouth to his fingers in a way that reminded Caroline a bit of Sherlock Holmes. She had started watching a few shows, but that was before she had gotten the job at KQBC. Thankfully the only thing BBC had done with Sherlock since was a Christmas special, because she probably wouldn't have been able to keep up.

"Her name's Hope." Caroline was still looking at Klaus.

"How old is she?"

"Four and a half. She's gorgeous."

 _With you in her genes, how could she not be?_

He looked at her again, and the pride in his eyes made her heart swell, because here he was, a father, and here she was, a mother. She could imagine their little family, even. But then she shook her head, and the thoughts she couldn't afford to have right now - no, ever - dispersed.

"Can I see a picture of her?" Klaus pulled out his phone, and picked out a picture of he and Hope. It had been taken by Hayley, but he knew Caroline wouldn't take kindly to that. He handed her the phone, and their fingers brushed, not on accident, and Klaus ignored everything he felt in that moment.

She couldn't breath. I mean, she doesn't really need to, but Klaus had just handed her his phone, and their fingers had touched, which probably would have been enough to make her stop breathing, but it's also the fact that she's looking at Klaus holding a beautiful little girl, and the way his eyes shone made the world stop, because _really_ , when has Klaus Mikaelson ever cared about someone so obviously?

"By the way, what's your stance on hand-me-downs? We have a chest that was once owned by Louis XV that's being wasted on my daughter's outgrown onesies. Any interest?" She was ripped from her thoughts.

"Maybe I'll take a look." She said offhandedly. "She really is gorgeous. She looks a little bit like you."

"Did you just call me gorgeous, love?"

"We should get back on topic. Maybe we can catch up later."

"I would like that." He stood up and poured himself a new glass of bourbon, as if he hadn't just thrown a perfectly fine glass at the wall. "So, I have a daughter, and I don't want the huntress anywhere near her."

"So help me. Help me get rid of her. I'm not the one who got stabbed, she won't be able to find me here."

"She could very easily find a witch willing to do a locator spell. Witches aren't too fond of vampires _or_ making an enemy of Rayna Cruz." Caroline was quiet. Klaus had been standing this whole time, a respectable distance from her, glass in hand.

"The big bad wolf." Caroline finally spoke. "The most ruthless of the original family, the most terrifying vampire of all time. And he can't even figure out a way to hide someone he claims he cares about."

"I never said that I can't. I do have a way to a way to hide you." He supplied. Caroline waited for more of an explanation but when none came, she put her chin out a little more, eyebrows raised questioningly,

"Well? What's your way to hide me, then?"

"There's a bar, a safe house, if you will, and it's shielded from magic. No tracking spells of any kind."

"You want me to bring my three year old daughters into a bar?"

"It's better than nothing, love."

"Can't you at least compel the owner to close it while I'm there?"

"Now, Caroline," He chided, "you're smarter than that." She knows what he means, of course, because what person is dumb enough to own a supernatural safe house and _not_ be on vervain? She sighed.

"I'm going to at least try to talk him into it."

"I know him a little bit, and talking him into something such as closing his bar for an indefinite amount of time will be no easy task." He looked at her, eyes glinting. "I could… try to help _persuade_ him, if you like." Caroline rolled her eyes.

"You're still just the same, even after all these years." She said, shaking her head as she rose from the couch.

"Yes, well, it takes someone with a certain light," he looked at her when he said this. He was setting his glass down on the tray, no doubt Emeline would come clean up after them. "To even begin to change me." She looked away.

 _He came around so he was standing next her as she was smiling fondly at the horse._

" _You like horses." He said, as if this was a beautiful thing about her. But she's a small town girl, and small town girls like horses._

" _I'm not talking to you until you tell me why you invited me here." She refused to even look at him, instead keep her eyes trained on the horse._

" _I fancy you." He answered, looking at her with something in his eyes that should be there, because everyone says he's a monster. He_ _ **is**_ _a monster. He killed Tyler. She looked away from the horse when he said that, shock evident in her face. "Is that so hard to believe?"_

" _Yes." She said without hesitation, like she wasn't the most amazing thing to ever walk the earth._

" _Why? You're beautiful. You're- you're strong." She looked away, her face saying that she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You're full of light. I enjoy you." His eyes traveled quickly over her figure when he said this, not in a sexual way, he was just looking at her in the dress he had picked out for her. She looked as amazing as he had thought she would._

"You're telling me after all these years you haven't found anyone to love?" She ignored the fact that she really hopes he hadn't. He looked away, and she knew he was hiding something. He didn't tell her what. Instead he cracked a joke that was obviously intended to move the conversation along.

"I have a child, love. I get by fine in that department." She scoffed.

"Let's go check out this bar, Romeo." He grinned, following her as she headed for the door.

The light didn't bother her eyes as they stepped out onto the sidewalk; the lighting in the Mikaelsons' home is provided by windows, so it's nearly the same to her. Klaus was walking next to her.

"So, here you are. In college, building a life for yourself. Plans, a future, things you want."

"Klaus," She breathed out, annoyed, "I'm not doing this with you."

"I take it children were not involved in those plans."

"No, they weren't."

"Isn't it funny," he said, finger in the air as he does when he's making a point, "how things that were never apart of the plan become one of the best things in your life?" She refused to look at him.

"Hilarious."

" _So the quarterback has been rescued," he started, ready to talk to Caroline free of distractions. "What now?"_

" _Don't you have a dying girl to go punish for all of her sins?"_

" _I do, but I won't; for you." She looked at him, doubtful. He looked back, his eyes flirty. That happens. His eyes change when he's flirting. Caroline hates it, except she loves it._

" _So you came all the way to Mystic Falls just to back off when I ask you to." It wasn't a question._

" _No, I came all the way to Mystic Falls to gloat over a corpse to be, as you so poetically put it," She looked up, like she was annoyed, except she was smiling, like she was laughing, only she wasn't laughing. It was the same smile, and Klaus wanted to see it so much more often. "But I will leave, minus the gloating,in return for one small thing."_

" _And what is that?"_

" _I want your confession." He stated triumphantly._

" _My…_ _ **confession**_ _." Her eyebrows shot up, and she shook her head slightly. "I didn't do anything. Confession about what?" Klaus smirked._

" _Me." The slight smile fell from her face, as did the smirk from Klaus'. "As soon as we're done here, I'm gonna walk away. And I'm never coming back." Caroline forgot to breath. "You'll never again have to look me in the eye and cover our connection with hostility and revulsion. You'll never have to loathe the darkest parts of yourself that care for me, in despite of all I've done." Her face was becoming less and less unimpressed, and more more scared. She hoped he couldn't tell. "I will be gone. And you will be free. I just…" He breathed out. "want you to be honest with me." Her face became one of determination, but then it softened, and she shook her head before saying,_

" _I'm in college. I'm building a life for myself. I have plans, and a future, things that I want. And none of those things involve you, okay?_ _ **None**_ _of them." She was trying to convince herself, she knew. His eyes hardened._

" _I see." It was barely audible. Funny how a small town girl can break the most terrifying beast of all time._

" _No, you don't! Because, yes! I cover our connection with hostility, because yes, I_ _ **hate**_ _myself for the truth! So if you promise to walk away, like you said, and never come back, then yes, I will be honest with you. I will be honest with you," She took a big breath, "about what I want." His hazel eyes were wide, and his lips were pursed. She couldn't tell if he was angry or just considering her offer. He nodded, looking down._

" _I will walk away," he promised, taking another step towards her. "and I will never come back. I promise." He would keep his promise, they both knew. The thought makes her heart hurt. But she needs to do this. She needs him out of her life so that she doesn't fall in love with a monster, because she doesn't want to want this weird alternative beauty and the beast fantasy in her head. Because she will surely lose all of her friends. He will keep his promise, they both know._

 _And he knows she will come find him, one day._

 _She swallowed nervously, and he moved forward the smallest amount. She took two steps forward, and she was looking at his lips, because his lips had always been so_ _ **damn**_ _kissable, and now she practically had to kiss them, and god, he's gorgeous. Her eyes fluttered from his lips to his eyes a few times. She was making eye contact when she said._

" _Good." And Klaus felt the air from her mouth land on his lips. And he would_ _ **never**_ _admit this to anyone, but he hadn't felt like this since he was human, since Tatia. And he thought that maybe this was even a little better._

 _And then they were kissing. Right away her hands were on his face, because she had wanted to touch his stubble for so long, and now she could._

 _Her sleeves were covering half of her hands, and it was so cute, but somehow it was sexy, just like her. A masterpiece. One day he would paint her, and not just her face, like he'd been doing. One day he'd paint her,_ _ **all**_ _of her, and it would feel as if he had conquered the world._

 _It was an amazing kiss. The best Caroline had ever had. And when they pulled away, and she was looking up into his eyes, they were flirty, but they were also something else. Let's go with carnivorous. He grinned, and she smiled wide, and then she was against a tree, pushing off his jacket, and he did the same to her. And the he just_ _ **ripped**_ _open her shirt, and the buttons went flying, and it was the hottest thing Caroline had ever experienced._

 _She was a goner, and he knew it. But, then again, so was he._

"Turn left here." He directed, effectively pulling her out of her memory. "And how has Mystic Falls been since my departure?"

"Honestly? Terrible. We had to evacuate because the Salvatore's mother's lover took over the town after Lily, their mother, died.

"Ah, so that was the actual cause behind the 'town wide mining fire' evacuation." He piped in. Caroline ignored him.

"They trashed the place. So Matt did his best to take care of it, but Julian had killed the entire police force in Mystic Falls, and Matt…" she took a deep breath. "Bonnie and I were living at Whitmore, trying to finish college, even with all the drama. We… we weren't there for him. He had lost all of his friends. All of his human friends, at least. The Salvatores were there, of course, but Matt was never close to them." Caroline pushed a hand through her hair, sighing. "We should have been there for him." Klaus reached out without thinking, and rested his hand on her shoulder. She immediately pushed away the feeling of instant clarity that washed through her, shook him off.

"It seems Mystic Falls can't last that long without me around." Caroline didn't respond. They walked along for a while, until Klaus put his hand on her elbow to stop her.

"Here we are, love. Welcome to St. James Infirmary; the safest place in New Orleans."

He looped his arm through hers, and led her inside.


	5. Love, Caroline

_September 18, 2016_

 _Hey Elena,_

 _It's one of those times. I like to think they're your favorite times, because you get to hear my rambling thoughts, but they're probably your least favorite just because of that._

 _Anyways, it's a Sunday, and I have a day_ _off from the internship, which is rare enough. The girls are sleeping. Ric is at Target, getting bread, but by now he's probably filled the cart with toys and clothes for the twins. I know I tell you this almost everyday, but they're getting so big so fast!_

 _I've been thinking about something. Someone, actually. Klaus. Now, before you recoil in disgust, please just listen. Or read. Whatever._

 _Klaus isn't evil. He just... he grew up with shitty parents, and his dad didn't love him. Which I understand. My dad left, and eventually hated me, but his dad actively tried to murder him. That's enough to make anyone believe they're worthless. And when people think they're worthless, when people think they're incapable of being saved, they do bad things, mostly just to try to understand how people look at them like that. It reminds me of the night it all really went to shit. I guess you could say that's when I got pregnant. And when you became a real life sleeping beauty. It always makes my heart ache when someone puts it that way, because she was your favorite. You always wanted to be her, the mysterious man and the dancing were probably the only things that matched her story to yours. That and the sleeping curse, of course._

 _But anyways, I woke up before Stefan did after Kai snapped our necks. There were witches chanting around me, but that's all I could hear. And Alaric sobbing. When I was finally able to focus, Kai said something just before he killed himself. He said "When you're family decides that you're nothing but an irredeemable piece of trash, well, I guess the best thing to do is to prove them right, right?" and I swear, Klaus could have been saying it as he daggered his siblings. We just assumed he was evil because he wasn't on our side. Because he hurt people close to us. But Damon killed Lexi, and Stefan forgave him. Damon killed our schools douchey but beloved football coach, and Vicky, and your uncle, Mason Lockwood, and even your brother. Tyler killed Liv, and I don't know if he's forgiven himself. Stefan killed Vicky, and that entire list of people in his apartment. Damon's killed more people, too. Ric killed my dad. I killed twelve witches. We have_ _ **all**_ _killed, and we will kill again. We were able to forgive, or maybe forget about the kill count that the people we love have produced. We all had causes for that. So did Klaus. He just wanted to be who he is, and an almost family that is loyal to him, and understands him, is that really so bad? I know he had to hurt us to get it, I know that. But we've killed people, remember that. People with lives and love, people who are just like us, minus the supernatural craziness. Klaus isn't all that much different from us. I had to try so hard to hate him. For a while there I thought I loved him, for fleeting moments. This might make you disgusted, but honestly, it shouldn't. You're in love with Damon, for christ's sake. I didn't love him, I realize that now. I loved Tyler, and Stefan, and even Matt. And if I had let myself, I could have loved Klaus, too. He made ridiculously romantic promises and said the perfect things. The girls have made me grow up incredibly fast, so I obviously see the fault in that notion now. I don't know why this is bothering me so much. It's just, Klaus isn't evil. I need you to know that.  
I have to go, the girls are waking up. Sweet dreams. _

_Okay, not funny, I know._

 _Love,_

 _Caroline_


	6. St James Infirmary

When they entered St. James Infirmary, there were only four other people inside. She pulled her arm out of Klaus' roughly as he led them over to the bar.

 _You will never again have to cover our connection with hostility._ His voice entered her mind, uninvited and unwelcome. _Yeah, fat chance of that._ She thought, knowing she was here until the imposing threat of Rayna Cruz was eliminated from her life, and Stefan's, and so she would be forced to covered that stupid connection for however long it takes.

He glanced over at her as she pulled her arm out from his, but said nothing.

 _Always with the hostility. Most psychologists agree that hostility is just sublimated sexual attraction. Don't I know that to be true._

Klaus smirked.

"Sylvia, this is an old friend. Please keep her cup brimming." He sat down at the bar, and Caroline took the seat next to him.

"With water." Caroline added, shooting Klaus a look. Which was a bit unfair, she admits. He was just being polite. But she can't be drinking anymore today, she'd always been somewhat of a lightweight, and she's already had alcohol that works at a regular pace for her, and contrary to popular belief, mostly Damon attempting to reason that he doesn't have a drinking problem, vampires _can_ get drunk on regular grocery store aisle tequila.

"Cute old friend. Where have you been hiding? It's about time Klaus brought a girl in."

 _So… there's no girl? At least that Sylvia knows of._

She shouldn't care. She also shouldn't of sat directly next to him, she quickly realizes, seeing as the bar stools were crammed together and his distinct scent overwhelmed her, only slightly changed over the course of three years; earth, thyme,bourbon, and now the scent of a father. She had been wrong before, it wasn't baby food that she had smelled earlier, it was just the general smell of a toddler; soft skin, dirt, and lollipops. Either way, she thinks she may like the way he smells even more now.

 _No._

She doesn't like anything about him. He's a dick.

Okay, well maybe there was one thing she liked about him.

"A quaint little place called Mystic Falls." Klaus answered for Caroline.

"Thanks." Caroline said as Sylvia handed her a glass of water. "So, Sylvia, do know if the owner of this place is going to be in today?"

"Leon? He'll be in later tonight." Caroline nodded.

"Are kids allowed in here, by the way?" Caroline added sweetly. Sylvia frowned.

"Sometimes, if it's not at night and they don't sit at the bar, and they look at least ten. It's not really a family restaurant, because it's not really a restaurant. Leon gets that sometimes kids need to be hidden from magic, though. Shit, I've got to take care of this." She rushed towards a scuffle in the corner. Klaus rose from his barstool and led Caroline to a small square table, and sat. Caroline took the chair across from him and spoke with cheer in her voice, most of it forced.

"So that's great! We can call Elijah and he can bring Liz and Jo here so they can't be tracked with a spell." Honestly, now that Caroline was thinking about it (and the adrenaline rush from seeing Klaus for the first time in three years was fading, except she had found she always had an adrenaline rush around him), the fact that she had run off to a bar with a former flame while her family is in danger is ridiculous. She was so angry with herself, and with him.

 _ **God.**_ _He's ridiculous. He's controlling. He's always doing that dumb smirk, and why are his lips always that perfect shade of red? He can't possibly drink that much blood, can he? Probably. He is a monster, after all._

But she's never really believed that, has she?

"If you must. I can't say I'm concerned, but by all means, I'll text you Elijah's number." Klaus offered.

 _He still has my number in his phone?_

She still had his, but she had always told herself it was in case someone needed his blood. He didn't need her.

"Well, why aren't you concerned?" She asked, slight venom in her tone, but mostly curiosity. "Rayna Cruz is an enemy that scares even the original family, and she could possibly be searching for my family as we speak."

"We don't get _scared_ , love. Or at least I don't. But if there is an enemy to us with a respectable amount of power out there, we'd rather stay away. Especially since we have recently acquired some more… fragile family. And I'm not concerned because children are notoriously known to be harder to track. With a spell at least. It's something about not yet having a completed soul, I'm not sure, but hopefully Freya will be able to explain it more to you at dinner."

 _That doesn't make sense, and who the hell is Freya? And when did I agree to dinner?_

"I've never heard of children being harder to track with a tracking spell. When Valerie thought that Jo's daughters might still be alive, she tracked them, and the tracking spell worked in about a minute. Maybe a few seconds more." Klaus look intrigued.

"Well, love, that must be an exceptionally powerful witchy friend you've got there, assuming that Valerie is a witch. Did anything exciting happen during the spell? Nose bleeding, random fires, et cetera?"

"The blood went off the map, and when I went to clean it up with a rag, it burst into fire. That's when Valerie knew they were in me. She's a heretic. Do you know what that is?" His eyes lit up with recognition.

"A heretic? It's been a very long since I've even heard of one those around, seeing as their covens tend to exile them. Extremely powerful witches, they are. I would love to have one on my side." Klaus said, eyes a bit far away.

"On your side of _what_?" Klaus did that half smirk that makes him look half amused, half bored, and she wanted to punch him. Or kiss him.

"There's always a battle here in New Orleans, Caroline. It's an even bigger supernatural magnet that Mystic Falls. Werewolves, witches, and vampires. Sometimes even more." Klaus grinned like this was the best thing imaginable. His face suddenly changed to something that could be nothing other than grief, much like after Bonnie had killed Kol, and Klaus had been staring at his brother's charred corpse. "A city of death." Caroline tried to understand where that came from, what, or _who_ he could be remembering. She couldn't find an answer. Klaus face began to melt back into an amused smirk, and the strange moment passed. "Anyways, your closeness to the spell performance and the fact that the witch is a heretic most likely allowed for the shortened amount of time the spell took." Caroline sighed, and Klaus looked at her questionably.

"I'm sorry. This… I'm so unsure what to do here. It's been so long since I was involved with any supernatural drama. The plan was to keep the girls away from all this." Klaus continued to look at her. "The supernatural." She responded as an answer to his look. "The werewolves, vampires, and witches." She clarified.

"Caroline," Klaus started, as if he were talking to a child who was confused. "you _are_ a vampire."

" _Really?_ " She asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "They were obviously going to figure out that I wasn't aging, along with my other vamp abilities, so they would have to know about me. But that was it."

"You live in Mystic Falls."

"Not anymore." She looked at him quizzically. "I thought you would be keeping tabs on Mystic Falls. Or, at least…" She didn't finish her sentence. She knew the answer already, she had figured it out earlier. She just didn't want to believe it. That he had abandoned her.

"You?" Klaus finished it for her. "I promised you, Caroline. Remember?"

 _I will walk away, and I will never come back. I promise._

"You…" She couldn't hide the hurt in her voice. He immediately wanted to make it go away, and she saw his eyes soften. _No. He doesn't get the satisfaction._ "Wow." She said, suddenly cold. "I'm surprised you were actually true to your word."

 _But you knew. He didn't even know you had kids, you idiot. He doesn't know you're engaged to Ric. You knew. So why are you surprised? And why are you so mad?_

"You know, when I said that you might show up at my doorstep," Klaus started, not returning her cold tone, "I thought it would be under much different circumstances. Yet, here you are, still covering our connection with hostility." Caroline rolled her eyes, but she knew he was right.

 _That's one promise he didn't keep. I still have to hide it._

"So what's the plan?" Caroline asked, in an attempt to move on.

"Plan for what? My daughter, my enemies, dinner tonight, or just life in general?" Klaus asked innocently.

"I can't stay in here forever, Klaus. And while children apparently take longer to track, it can still be done. So, do you have a plan, or was day drinking in a dive bar the full extent?" He practically grinned at the tone of her voice. Her brow furrowed. He glanced down while running his finger along the rim of his cup, leaning back in his chair.

"You know… I have missed your fire." He looked back to her, and her face had not softened. "You're the one who came to me, love. Shouldn't you be the one with the plan?" She looked panicked for a second, before Klaus chuckled a bit. " Just kidding, I have a plan. It is currently exactly one twenty-seven, and I have an appointment I have to leave for at two thirty. My plan was to stay here and keep you company until then."

"How long does it take to track kids, usually? Because an hour seems to be pushing it."

"In my experience about an hour and half. But, Caroline, we don't even know that Rayna Cruz is attempting to find you and your daughters." Klaus pointed out.

"We don't know that she's not." Caroline shot back. "She came after me to draw out Stefan."

"Caroline," Klaus stared, a comforting tone in his voice, which for some reason made her heart ache. "An evil mastermind never uses the same trick twice. Believe me, I should know. And I can't do anything about this unfortunate situation until I have picked my brand new big sister Freya up from the airport. Until then we might as well catch up." Caroline shook her head.

"Okay." Caroline said, in the tone of voice that implied _slow the hell down_ , "First of all _brand new older sister?_ Second of all, how can she help us? And third of all, don't you have a daughter to tend to?"

"It's a long story, one that's of course full of betrayal among the Mikaelsons." Caroline's eyes softened, feeling sympathy for Klaus and his family; all that they've been through at the hands of themselves. She quickly corrected herself, although Klaus still noticed. "She's a witch, and a very powerful one at that. And Hope always spends Saturdays with her mother."

 _Are they together? It could be an 'I get her on the weekends' thing, or maybe it's just a Mommy day._

"So we get Freya to cloak the girls and me, and then I find the girls and I a place to stay so that I can try to figure out how to save Stefan." Caroline listed. Making lists usually helps with her stress. She would have like to have Klaus' assistance on saving Stefan, but that wasn't going to happen. She remembered him shouting at her, voice full of rage at the mention of the huntress. And she completely understood why he wouldn't want Rayna anywhere near his family, because that's part of the reason why she had run to New Orleans in the first time. He was helping her, and that was enough. She'd have to find a decent babysitter.

"You have a place to stay, love." Klaus informed her, and she immediately shook her head.

"No. I'm not going to impose on you any more than I already have, Klaus."

"You wouldn't be imposing, Caroline. There's more than enough room, and we have an abundance of ancient books that you can pore over in a futile attempt to remove the mark of Rayna Cruz from Stefan Salvatore."

"It's _not_ futile." _It can't be_. "And fine, we can stay in your mansion or townhouse or whatever it is." Klaus smirked. After a few moments of comfortable silence he spoke, a serious tone in his voice.

"I am sorry about earlier, Caroline. I shouldn't have gotten so angry. It's just been a long time since Rayna Cruz was a threat. And we have no way of knowing whether her sword works on originals or not, and we all agree that we'd rather not test it." Caroline nodded.

"It's alright, Klaus. It's more than alright. I shouldn't have come here in the first place. I shouldn't have just expected you to drop everything to help me. Yet you are."

"I will always drop everything to help you, Caroline." Caroline looked down, not sure what to say. Thankfully, he noticed her discomfort. "So, is it true that everything's bigger in Texas?" She let out an exasperated sigh.

"Very original."

"If I'm anything, it's an original." She cracked a smile.

"Ha. Clever, really. So, what have you been doing?" Caroline asked, genuinely curious. "I can't see you as a stay at home father."

"I'm actually in control of New Orleans." Klaus told her, a pompous tone in his voice. Her eyebrows shot up.

"Really?" She inquired, a bit of a mocking tone in her voice. "Now, how does that work, seeing as there's a mayor and all?" Klaus waved his hand in an unimpressed motion.

"Oh _her._ She's nothing impressive. A quarter of the city's taxes go to the Mikaelsons, supernatural or not. We of course are in control of gold mines in Africa, and lumber yards in Canada, and of course stocks in Apple, Starbucks, and Microsoft, which was an in-"

"As much as I would love to hear about your family's immense wealth, I really wouldn't. So back to the reigning over New Orleans thing, I believe you were telling me about the mayor." Klaus smirked.

 _She always has loved the power stance more than the money._

"Ah, yes. Of course. So, in a supernatural city such as New Orleans, it's the mayor's job to take care of the innocents, just as it is in Mystic Falls. She attends our monthly meetings, at Elijah's insistence,not mine. She requires that we don't feed on locals, and that we don't kill the tourists we snack on, because it would bring down tourism, which would be bad for us as well as her. She doesn't really do all that much for us." Caroline was nodding along, grimacing slightly when he referred to treating someone as a personal blood bag as 'snacking'. He smiled a bit.

 _Still so innocent._

"Monthly meetings? This all sounds very organized."

"Does that surprise you?"

"With the Mikaelsons?"

"Well, believe me, Caroline, it wasn't organized when we first returned. At least, not by me." Caroline nodded.

"Well, you originals are known for cleaning up well." Caroline quipped before realizing what she had said. Klaus opened his mouth to reply, but Caroline's phone started ringing loudly. She looked down to see a picture of her and Alaric smiling at a resturaunt, hands clasped together on top of the table, the name 'Ric' under it. Caroline grabbed the phone quickly, but not before Klaus saw the picture. "I should take this." Caroline said, not bothering to move away as she answered and moved the phone to her ear, knowing Klaus would just eavesdrop anyways.

"Care?"

"Hey, Ric." Caroline's voice was relieved. There was always the off chance it was Damon calling her, with the news that Alaric was dead.

"Are you there yet?"

"Yeah, got here about half an hour ago. What about you, how are things on your end?"

"Damon and I haven't found much. We've decided we're going to capture Rayna. If anyone would know anything about removing the mark from Stefan, it would be her. And if she doesn't, well…"

"You've got Damon."

"Yeah, speaking of. Bonnie won't answer his calls, either, though I don't blame her. He _was_ a dick to her the last time he saw her." Caroline heard Damon's voice call out a protest in the background. She set her mouth in a straight line, knowing that Alaric hadn't forgiven Damon. She doesn't know if she did either. I mean, they were never the best of friends, but a lifetime. He was going to be gone an entire lifetime. They had slept together, he was her sire, he was her mom's best friend, and he had made her feel so happy, when he had said those things at her mom's funeral.

" _Liz Forbes was my friend. In her last moments she asked me to pass along a message to her daughter, but I cut her off before she could say too much. Told her she could tell Caroline herself. But she didn't get that chance."_ _Damon's eyes stopped roaming over the faces seated in the pews, and landed on Caroline with fierce intensity, and she looked back, a bit scared of what he was going to say next. "Your mom wanted you to know how proud of you she was. And she should be." The corners of Caroline's mouth turned up the smallest amount, and she was blinking to keep back her tears. "You're a beautiful, strong woman, a generous friend, and a bright light in a sea of dark. She said you were extraordinary. And you are."_

A major contrast to what Damon had first thought of Caroline. Granted, she had changed a lot. Mostly for the better. So had he. So imagine her surprise when she didn't get a goodbye. She remembered Damon's letter to Alaric, though. He had read it to her.

 _But I'm a crappy person._

No kidding. All that progress, and she didn't even get her own goodbye letter. The best she got was reading Alaric's over his shoulder. "Anyways, how are the girls?" Caroline was snapped out of her thoughts.

"They're fine, they're with Elijah. Lizzie said she misses you. I'm sure Josie does too."

"What do you mean they're with Elijah? Why aren't they with you?"

"Ric, calm down. You wanted me to convince him to help us. That's what I'm doing." Klaus raised an eyebrow to her.

"What, he hasn't already offered his help in exchange for another one of your _confessions_?" Alaric's voice was bitter. She heard Damon laugh, and Klaus practically growled.

"Alaric Saltzman!" Caroline admonished.

"What? You know I wasn't too fond of the idea of sending you to him in the first place. He's always trying to get into your pants." Caroline scoffed, and Klaus was scowling. She didn't bother to acknowledge this.

 _I'm always trying to give her everything, Texas ranger. Who does this guy think he is?_

"Okay, Ric." Caroline was annoyed. "Call me with any updates."

"Wait."

"Hm?"

"Kiss the girls for me, tell them I love them. And I love you."

"I will. Love you too. Bye." Caroline hung up. Klaus took a sip of bourbon, and after a few thoughtful moments, he spoke.

"A lot has changed, it seems."  
"For both of us."

"I was sure it was Stefan, I mean you obviously fancied him quite a bit. The feeling never seemed to be mutual, he and his brother always so obsessed with that wretched Gilbert girl. I figured he had finally come to his senses." Caroline smiled slightly into her glass as she took a sip.

"He did. But then he got marked, and had to run. And we tried for a little while after that. I tried harder than he did, I think." Klaus frowned. "I could've gone with him." She admitted. "I could've left the babies with Alaric and gone with Stefan. That was what I was supposed to do anyways. Minus the leaving. Alaric was the one who was going to leave."

"So you carried two lives in your womb. You gave birth to them, and then you planned to turn those cooing little faces over to Alaric without so much as a hiccup of hesitation. Yeah, that's probably right, that does sound like the Caroline I remember." Klaus' words came out in almost one breath, a very sarcastic breath, reminding Caroline that he knows her. He does know her, whether she likes that or not.

 _He always talks like that. Like he'll never stumble over his words, like he's an expert at talking. But he won't, and he is._

"Well that's obviously not how things ended up, is it?"

"So you chose the babies over the babe-"

"That was such a Rebekah thing to say."  
"And now you're engaged to the father of your children, who also happens to be your high school history teacher!" Klaus' voice had the fake excitement in it, tone of voice that should be petty but never is, and the smirk had returned.

"Yes, I am. So, this library of yours, it will have info on Rayna and the mark, or more importantly how to get it off Stefan?"

"Oh, and you'll have to work around Kol, he's been in and out of there for nearly three years trying to bring his adolescent girlfriend back to life." Caroline started to speak, then decided against it, knowing she would hear the whole story sooner or later. "There are ancient books in there, some that I have never even touched. And I do know for a fact that there are at least two books containing information about Rayna Cruz. I acquired them after she thrust her blade through the heart of some of my best men on the steps of St. Anne's Church. She was born in New Orleans, you know. Terrorized the quarter for years." Caroline's eyes widened.

"I thought you built this city."  
"I did."  
"So why would you allow that?"

"I wasn't here when it started, and when I got news of it from my informants, I knew it wasn't wise to return."  
"It's not like you to run."

"I wasn't running. I was a man on a mission, Caroline. I just wanted to find a way to break that bloody curse, and make more hybrids. I didn't want to be delayed by a huntress." Caroline nodded. "That mission didn't really go anywhere, unfortunately. All my hybrids died. It did however, lead me to you, which is why I do not, and never will, regret that mission." Caroline could feel Klaus staring at her, but she was focusing on tracing the veins in her hand containing a stranger's blood with her eyes. He shouldn't be doing this, not now. "There is, however, another way to make hybrids." Caroline looked up.

"What?"

"My daughter, if a wolf dies with her blood in their system, they can drink her blood to transition."  
"So… you didn't need her." Caroline's voice was rushed as she referred to Elena. "You didn't need to hurt Mystic Falls like you did. You could have just waited, Tyler would just be a wolf, we could've been happy for so much longer." She was speaking fast, almost in a panicked tone, and her cheeks were getting red. "Elena… she, she wouldn't have turned, and she wouldn't- oh my god she cou-"

"Caroline, calm down." He didn't know what she was on about, but she seemed to be in a panic.  
"She would be with us, and Bon-"  
"Caroline, _look_ at me." Caroline stopped sputtering and looked into Klaus' green eyes, the anger in her flickering out like a candle.

"Sorry. Sometimes I think about all you've done to us, and I get so angry at you. And myself."  
"What could you possibly get angry at yourself for?" He knew he had done wrong by her. But angry at herself? Caroline Forbes had nothing to be angry at herself for.

"I was attracted you. I was attracted to… a monster."She admitted. Klaus considered her for moment, and she was looking at him, cheeks returning to their natural hue.

"Tell me something, love," he started, hands folded on the table, leaning back in his chair. She was finding it hard to look at him, but at the same time she couldn't stop. He had grown his stubble out a little bit. It wasn't a full on beard, but it was definitely longer. She wondered why he had decided to do that. Did he pick up his razor one morning, and look at himself in the mirror, and put it down, deciding to only shave once every two days? She wondered if he would have consulted her about it, had she been around. Who did he consult about it now, though? Probably no one. Klaus Mikaelson doesn't consult people about anything. He just does what he wants. She wondered what else had changed about him. She wondered if someone else had come along who was capable of changing him, who thought that he was worth it. She could tell there had been, he was lighter, somehow, and his eyes were much happier. He was obviously still angry, still tortured, still dark in general, but he was happy, in a way. All these thoughts came flying at her in a manner of seconds, before he spoke again.

"I did need her, or that mission, at least." She didn't ask why, she figured it was because of her, which was ridiculous, because… well, just because, okay? And he had needed that mission because of her, he knew, but also because it led him to the mother of his child. "Have you ever really believed that I'm a monster?"

"No." She admitted. "No, I didn't. That's been bothering me, actually."  
"What has?"

"That we just assumed that you were a monster, that you were evil, because you were willing to hurt Elena. Everything's about Elena back there." Klaus didn't interrupt, waiting to hear what she had to say. "And sure, you're dark. You're a little bit of a monster, except we all are. Bonnie's a witch, most of us are vampires, and Tyler's a werewolf. We're all technically monsters, and we've all done bad things. The only reason you've done more is because you're way older than all of us, and you've lived through lifetime after lifetime of your own father trying to kill you, and terrible mental health in general." Caroline realized what she had said, and tried to backtrack. "I mean, it's not that you're crazy or anyth-"  
"It's okay, love. You get it. My father didn't love me, and so I assumed no one else would either, and that's why I compel people, or I sire them, or I try to buy them off." Caroline had a slight smile to her face. "But that's not how it works. I didn't connect to people because I didn't even try to understand them."

 _And what about now? Do you connect with people now? Have you connected to anyone?_

"Do you honestly remember every single thing I've ever said to you?" He smirked.

"Vividly." She took a sip of her drink, and he watched her closely, as if he were a cat staring at a tasty mouse.

 _Caroline stepped down into a room littered with paints, pencils, paper, paintings, sketches, and a mess of art supplies, Klaus leading the way._

" _So," She said, hands swinging together to clasp in front of her stomach, "what did you want to show me?" She had a half smile on her face, and she seemed genuinely excited._

" _One of my passions." They turned to face a large painting. Caroline didn't recognize it, but she assumed it would be from the louvre or some other high class art museum._

" _Oh, impressive. I take it the curators of the louvre aren't on vervain?" Klaus chuckled.  
_ " _Yeah well, that's their mistake." He said, looking at her. She huffed, rolling her eyes, and running her gloved fingers across her wrist._

" _And what about these?" She asked, her wrist outstretched towards him, referring to the bracelet she had received from him. "Where'd you steal this from?"_

" _Now, that's a long story. But rest assured, it was worn by a princess almost as beautiful as you." She rolled her eyes, but she obviously appreciated the comment. Her eyes traveled down to the table in front of them, and landed on a sketch that looked exactly like the cherub babies on that famous ceiling painting, she wasn't sure of the name. She picked it up, and her face was puzzled._

" _Wait a second," She said, turning to him. "Did you do these?" She acted almost as if she couldn't believe it._

" _Yeah, um," He was acting almost shy about it. Her face was incredulous. Klaus Mikaelson does not do shy. Maybe coy was the word. "Actually, one of my landscapes is hanging at the ermitaj, not that anyone would notice." The last bit as said under his breath, almost ruefully. She could not believe what she was hearing. Klaus does things other than pillage innocent villages and ruin perfectly healthy relationships? She wasn't sure what to say, so she looked back to the sketch in her hand. "Have you been?" He suddenly asked._

" _I've never really been anywhere." She said it with a sort of sad finality, as if that would always be the case._

" _I'll take you." He offered immediately, no hesitation in his voice. She looked at him, annoyed and let out a disbelieving chuckle. "Where ever you want; Rome," She turned towards him, face scrunched up, like 'Come on, buddy.' "Paris," She smiled and looked up, opening her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Klaus, who was leaning closer to her, "Tokyo?" He asked, rather playfully. She laughed out an "Oh,"_

" _Wow." They both laughed, and Klaus turned his cheek and looked down. This was good. It was going well. "Must be really nice to just snap your fingers and get whatever you want." The entire demeanor flipped, and Klaus opened his mouth to speak but found he was at a loss, and closed it while sighing slightly, head tilted in a 'C'mon, we were getting somewhere,' kind of fashion. "Is that why you collect hybrids? A little servant army to take you places, and bring you things?" Klaus' smile was falling rapidly, and he looked rather annoyed, but also maybe hurt. She couldn't tell._

" _You're making assumptions." He sounded so tired._

" _Then why do you need Tyler?" She asked, and Klaus felt as if he had been slapped. "Stop controlling him. Give him his life back." She was practically begging, but in that furious, beautiful way she has about her._

" _You know," He said, looking royally pissed off as he licked his lips. "This has been a fun evening." He obviously wanted to argue with her, to scream. She wondered if being surrounded by his art was what was keeping him under control. "But I think it's time for you to leave."_

" _I get it." She started, nodding slightly. "Your father didn't love you, so you assume that no one else will, either." Her eyes were running back and forth across his face, searching for something. She didn't know what. His eyes met hers, a stone cold gaze, and a clenched jaw. "And that's why you compel people, or you sire them, or you try to buy them off." She ripped off the probably priceless diamond bracelet and threw it to the ground, and he watched it fall with a resounding 'clang,' his gaze returning to hers, jaw unclenched but still angry. "But that's not how it works. You don't connect with people, because you don't even try to understand them." She finished her speech and turned around, ignoring the fact that there were somehow tears glistening in Klaus' eyes. And he let out a shaky breath, cursing himself as she walked away from him._

 _He thought for a moment, then got out a piece of paper and began to draw._

She decided to say something. Maybe back in Mystic Falls, when she was in high school and college, she wouldn't of said this. But this is what she believes, and this is what she should say, because there is nothing holding her back. She doesn't care that she always says the wrong thing anymore. She hasn't talked to anyone back in Mystic Falls, _really_ talked, in a year. They don't control her anymore.

"I understand why you did the things you did, Klaus. You never trusted your family. Granted, it was because you always controlled them rather than giving them their free will most of the time, so why should you trust them? And you never believed they loved you, because your father didn't. So, making more hybrids was the obvious solution. People who are like you, people who are loyal to you, and in a way, they may even love you." Klaus wasn't smirking, but there wasn't hurt in his eyes. In fact, they seemed to be shining, but not with tears. She would say joy, but that doesn't make much sense.

"It certainly is good to have you back, Caroline Forbes." He said, tossing the remainder of his bourbon onto the back of his throat. She smiled at him, genuinely smiled, and he took a sip of his bourbon, gaze unwavering. "We have twenty minutes longer, love. Tell me everything."

"I'm not sure we have time."  
"Summarize."

"My mom died of cancer. Bonnie and Damon got trapped in a prison world created by the Gemini coven when they produced a psychopathic heretic named Kai, and became best friends. They all eventually escaped. We made a new friend called Enzo, he knew Damon back in the day. Lily Salvatore returned, she's Stefan and Damon's mom. Turns out she's the one who turned Enzo. Kai killed Jo, Ric's fiance, at the altar, blew up the wedding, and put a spell on Elena that linked her life to Bonnie's, so Elena can't wake up until Bonnie lives her life and dies. He killed himself after because he was now the leader of the Gemini coven, since he killed his twin, and when the leader dies, they all die, and the coven somehow managed to transfer the babies into me before they died. Damon decided to desicate because he can't live without Elena, and said goodbye to everyone but me with nothing but some lousy letters, because he's a dick. Bonnie's furious and she ended up getting with Enzo and now they're madly in love but Damon doesn't know. Bonnie and Enzo are trying to figure out why this secret organization called 'The Armory' needs Bonnie. I moved to Houston, took care of my babies and tried my best with Stefan, before he stopped calling, stopped writing, and didn't contact me, and assumedly started dating Valerie, successfully breaking my heart. I got a job at KQBC News Room all by myself, using no compulsion, worked my way up from intern to stage manager in three years, got engaged to Alaric because he fell in love with me, and it made sense for the girls. Stefan woke up Damon when he needed help and I'm in New Orleans doing my best to help. That's most of the most important parts." Klaus was quiet for a moment, going over everything she had just said.

"Your daughters are products of the Gemini Coven?"

"That's what you got out of that?"  
"It's an extremely powerful coven. They dropped off the map years ago."

"It doesn't matter either way. The coven is dead. Just like most of the rest of their family." Klaus noticed the sad look in her eyes.

"I was sorry to hear about your mother, Caroline." She took a sharp intake of breath, tears glistening in her eyes. He reached his hand across the table and clasped her's. "I'm sure she would have loved to see you with the little ones."

 _They were waltzing. She was wearing the dress he had gifted her, and she looked ravishing. He looked at her as they took another step, enjoying being so close to her. She looked at him and glanced down before turning her head forwards again. He continued to gaze. This was a strange feeling for him, actually enjoying someone's company. He doesn't like people much. But he doesn't like being lonely, either. Maybe that's why he kept his family in boxes for a century; he wanted to be alone, without being alone. They had to stay with him that way. But he had no desire to ever lock Caroline Forbes away. He had no desire to make her unhappy, despite what she believes. He had no desire to dampen the light that seems to illuminate from her._

 _Which is why he should stay away._

" _I'm glad you came." He told her as she was looking at Matt dancing with Rebekah, and he felt a twinge of jealousy. His voice a little hoarse, probably from fighting with his family. She turned back towards him, as they were facing each other now, but looked past him._

" _Well it was either caviar or sympathy casseroles." She was still staring resolutely at the space to the right of his head. He was still staring at her._

" _I heard about your father." She looked at him now, eyes blazing._

" _Don't. Seriously." She couldn't take the man that has terrorized her and her friends showing her anymore kindness. She wouldn't be able to try to hurt him if she thought she had a soul, and her resolve is already breaking._

She didn't stop him this time. Klaus glanced at his phone, where the screen was lit up from a text from someone named Hayley.

 _Hope just exploded another sand castle, had to compel the kid she was playing with's mom. Oh, and you should get to the airport. Freya's flight is getting in in half an hour._

Klaus picked up his phone and typed something. Caroline's mind was racing as she pulled her hand out of his, and he mistook it for her releasing his hand so he could type easier.

He couldn't be more wrong.

"Hayley Marshall? You slept with _Hayley Marshall_? You have a daughter with her?" Klaus looked up, thumbs poised above his phone, but his face held no trace of guilt, which infuriated her.

"It's rude to snoop."

If looks could kill, he would be dead.


	7. The Mission

It wasn't as if he had run. No, he certainly hadn't run, though that's most likely what they have been telling themselves. After Cami died because of them, after Davina was killed by that bloodthirsty bastard, after Davina's funeral, after that witch and the man he had considered family at one point killed Davina for the second time, _in_ _front of him_ , letting him hear her screams, begging the witch to stop, calling for his help, he had hopped on a jet plane and headed for the finest of the Strix training camps, though he was already plenty prepared to fight this battle. After all, he had been taught by the best, and he had a significant advantage. The thing was, he doesn't want to be sufficient. He wants to _destroy_ his enemies. They won't even be able to cry out before he had silenced them all - though not killed them all. No, he wants to make them suffer, just as they have made him suffer. So many people have suffered at the hands of that family, so many people are still suffering, he knows. And now, as he broke the neck of his current sparring partner, he knew, just weeks away from the three year anniversary of Davina's death, it was nearly time to end the suffering. He knew they hadn't seen this coming when he dropped off the map three years ago. Vincent had informed him it was believed that he had left to recover from Davina's death. However, he had no idea if that was still the case. As soon as he started to receive messages like 'This might not be the best thing. How many of them are you going to kill? The mother? The girl you once loved? The _child_?' and shortly after, 'Look, things are calming down. He's coming down from his rage over Cami's death. They're starting to do _good_ for this city. I know what I said, man. And I meant it. But maybe we should rethink things.' he cut Vincent off. This isn't a mission for the faint of heart. He had known that when Vincent offered him that serum, and he hadn't hesitated. He let Vincent live, though. He's taking care of the witches in their beloved city, and truth be told, he did have a soft spot for the witch. But for his sake, Vincent had better not have a soft spot for that family, or else he might be forced to do something he doesn't want to.

This was his mission now. There is no more Davina to protect, thanks to them. And so, he decided a long, long time ago.

Marcellus Gerard is going to kill the Mikaelsons.


	8. Temporary Separate Ways

While she was busy glaring at him, Klaus rose from his seat and moved towards the door, exiting the bar while Caroline was still in her seat, fuming. Klaus leaned against the brick wall to the left of the door, waiting to see if she might follow. The city bustled around him, and he vaguely wondered what would happen when Caroline and Hayley reunite.

Inside, Caroline was angry, she knew that much, but she wasn't really sure how to feel. Her brain was a pissed off, jumbled up mess.

 _Hayley. Hayley Marshall. As in slept with my boyfriend somewhere in the mountains Hayley Marshall. Is she just after all of my love interests? Next up: Matt and Stefan! God, how is this even possible? Klaus is British and rich, and Hayley is trashiest of country trash. Caroline, you're judging again. But she is. Out of everyone Klaus could have fucked in that stupid town, he chooses Hayley fucking Marshall._ _ **Really**_ _? Why? Why not some random girl from the grill, or even me. Shut up, Caroline. You would have shot him down so fast. Would I really have? Yes! Okay? Yes a million times. But_ _ **Hayley**_ _? I am disgusted. I could throw up. Why do I even care? But Hayley?_ _ **Seriously**_ _? So is she just running around New Orleans now? I bet she lives in the bayou. Seems like the type. Oh my god, I cannot believe she is back in my life for however long I'm here. As if I needed more motivation to help Stefan. Ugh, I hate her! This is the cruelest twist of fate I have ever seen. Okay, a little dramatic._

 _But why Hayley?_

Caroline realized that she was rudely keeping Klaus waiting. So, still fuming, she rose from the table, looking around for a moment as she slipped her phone into her pocket. It was very colorful in St. James' Infirmary. Some of the windows were made of colored glass, and there were panels of colored glass hanging on walls and doors. There were candles in jars of green, blue, red, yellow, and purple hues, which all lead Caroline to believe St. James' Infirmary wasn't the crappy dive bar it was made out to look like. There was too much effort put into making the place look like there was barely any effort put in at all.

But that wasn't what she was really thinking about, those thoughts were just the ones on the edge of her brain. It seemed that the thoughts that were screaming at her were, once again, revolving around Klaus.

It was never her. She always said the wrong thing, or did the wrong thing.

In this case, she had chosen the wrong man. The wrong life.

The full force of her regret was a like a punch in the stomach, and she wasn't exactly sure where it had come from.

 _Jeez, Caroline, again with these thoughts._

Klaus had evaded her when she asked about love. He had said it takes someone with a certain light to change him, and yet he seems happier. Therefore he must be with someone.

So Hayley Marshall and Klaus Mikaelson.

She guesses she lost her chance.

 _But Hayley's just a werewolf. She'll die eventually, right?_

Which was a horrible thought to have, she knew. And why does she even care? She used to think she would end up with Klaus one day…

But she's all grown up now. She has to know an epic romance with Klaus isn't going to happen.

 _Why not?_

Which was a dumb question, seeing as there are many reasons why not. He's with Hayley, for one. She's doesn't like him, for two. And for three, she's _engaged_.

Of course, she's not in love with Alaric. She loves him, obviously. But he's her high school history teacher! He's the one who fell in love with her. She only agreed because it makes sense for the girls. And the marriage will happen. Which means she can't get involved with anyone else. Besides, she's obviously missed her chance with Klaus, anyways. She took a deep breath and moved towards the door, her eyes adjusting to the light as she stepped out, looking to the left seeing Klaus leaning against the wall and smirking at her.

"Ready to go, love?" He moved to stand next to her. "The car should be here soon." She smiled in a way that was fake; too bright and too cheery.

"Hey, sorry about that. I shouldn't judge you. I've made a few mistakes of my own."

 _Granted, I haven't had a thousand years of experience._

"She wasn't a mistake." Caroline seemed to actually flinch. Klaus tilted his head and roamed his eyes over her face searchingly. She glanced at the black car turning on the street.

"Right. So, I'm going to head back to your house if that's okay. I want to see the girls, and unpack. You know; just get settled in."

"Of course," He said, as the car pulled up to the curb. A rather awkward silence followed, and then, "Don't go near the library. Kol has set up shop there, and if we're honest, the last time he interacted with your friends wasn't such a friendly event. I know you didn't have anything to do with it, but he may very well group you in with the others. Although, he shouldn't bother you unless provoked. He's quite busy lately." A man hopped out of the driver's seat of the black ford focus, and handing Klaus the keys without saying a word, walked in the opposite direction of the mansion.

"Right, of course." Caroline responded.

 _Klaus was still staring at the charred corpse of his little brother, ignoring the foolish little boy who he could hear getting himself a -no doubt- celebratory drink. The door opened and slammed shut, and he still did not look up, unable to tear his eyes away from his dead brother._

 _Dead._

 _How could have this happened? It was supposed to be him who killed Kol, him who decided his death, decided his pain and misery. It was supposed to be at his own hands, not some idiotic children who never knew Kol, who didn't grow up with him and love him, didn't fully appreciate him, and why he needed to die._

 _ **They will pay. Every last one of these Mystic Falls nucenses will pay.**_

 _Caroline entered the house where she had spent a good portion of her childhood, purposefully refusing to look at the man standing in the living room, eyes going immediately to Tyler, who was getting a drink glass out of the cupboard._

" _You're still here?" She demanded, walked over to the island. Upon hearing her voice, he was torn from his dark thoughts and compelled to walk as close as he could get to her, which wasn't very close due to the boundary. "What are you doing?"_

" _Gloating." Tyler supplied with a shrug._

" _Hello, Caroline." She turned when she heard his heavy footfalls. She ignored him, but it did not go unnoticed how they stared at each other for a few more seconds than needed. His face was so full of emotion, so full of sadness._

 _ **Just like Tyler's, lately. Because of him.**_

 _Caroline turned back to Tyler._

" _Come home. Don't stoop to his level."_

" _He destroyed. My life." Tyler answered earnestly._

 _ **What about me? Aren't we in love? Doesn't that make me your life?**_

" _I plan on being present for every second of his misery until I can kill him myself." Tyler raised his glass to Klaus, and Caroline looked over her shoulder at him. He nodded, eyes returning to the corpse. Caroline once again saw the pain clearly written across his face. She knew the dead body of his own brother was lying on the floor, and so she knew he wouldn't be able to tear his eyes away. Annoyed with Tyler, she rolled her eyes and turned back to him._

" _Fine. You can gloat and multitask. This place is a disaster. Starting with: the horrific burnt corpse." The way she put it wasn't too sensitive, but he didn't deserve sensitive right then. He had just killed Tyler's mom. But still, no one should have to stare at their baby brother's corpse, unable to move, or to hold him or cry over him. It wasn't right. She moved over to the cabinet she knew there was a sheet in, and gave two of the corners to Tyler as they spread it over Kol's body. She heard Klaus let out what almost seemed like a sigh of relief._

" _Tyler's mother is dead." She turned towards him, noticing the desperate look on his face. "So is my brother. We're even." Tyler sighed, and Klaus turned towards Caroline. "Call Bonnie. Tell her to let me out of here."_

 _She could not_ _ **believe**_ _him. How dare he. She shook her head._

" _I will never,_ _ **ever**_ _, help you."_

 _The pure hatred in her voice was like a slap to the face._

"Let me know if you want me to get a hotel room. And if anyone else in your family wants me to, I'll get one. You're not the only one who lives there."

"It's my house, love."

"So the huge 'M' on the doors and wall stands for Klaus, huh? Makes sense." Klaus smirked.

"I really must be leaving, Caroline. I trust you can find your way back without me?"

"Yep, I'm sure I can find my way back. To the _Mikaelson_ mansion." Klaus did that thing where he covered his almost laugh by looking at the ground. His face always looked so joyful, and so _young_ when he does that. God, she hates him.

"See you soon, love." He opened the door and began to get in.

"Klaus." He stopped, one leg in the car, the other resting on the curb, and turned his head, one hand on the roof, the other on the car door. "Thank you. For helping me."

 _Caroline's heels could be heard as she entered the room, wiping her hands with a rag._

" _I used all your bleach." She said, focusing on the towel wiping her hands as she walked past Klaus._

" _Hey," He started as he all but dived forwards and grabbed her elbow. She turned around and glanced at his hand on her arm before she looked back to his face. "Thank you." He said earnestly. "For helping me."_

" _Yeah." She said, her tone implying, 'Of course I helped.' He tilted his head slightly and looked into her eyes, and for a moment she was lost in the green. His hand was still on her arm. Here mouth opened as if she were about to say something, but then she looked to the floor and shook her head, as if she was shaking herself from a daze, or a daydream. "Well if you need anything else," She looked back up at him and laughed nervously, her smile brilliant. He grinned, expecting that this is where she might finally warm up to him. He flinched as she shoved the towel into his chest, looking at her as if to say, 'Oh, come on.'_

" _ **Don't**_ _call me. I have a prom to plan." She turned around and walked away as he licked his lips and grinned at her prioritization of such a trivial human thing like prom._

" _Friends, then?" He asked, voice obviously full of hope. She stopped, and seemed caught off guard by the pure longing in his voice. And for a moment she wanted to say, "Yes, Klaus. Friends." Because he seemed so…_ _ **lonely.**_ _But it wasn't pity. It was genuine doubt as to whether this man deserves his isolated life._

 _And then she wondered if Tyler deserved his isolation._

 _She turned around and he was still facing her, waiting for a response._

" _Are you gonna let Tyler come back into town?" He sighed and shifted his weight from one leg to the other, looking at her as if she were a toddler being reminding once again that she shouldn't pick Mommy's flowers. The answer was self-explanatory. And therefore so was hers. She turned around, actually looking disappointed, and began to walk away. He didn't look at her as she was leaving, for some reason not wanting to watch that. He decided to speak after a second, however, and looked back to her moving form._

" _You might have noticed," He started out by talking loud, to get her attention. She stopped and turned back around, looking utterly tired. "I'm not exactly scouring the earth for him," He said this as if that was some dirty crime, the hardest thing he had ever had to do. "Am I?" She looked down and considered this. She knows that letting Tyler live after such a betrayal went against Klaus' nature. A thousand years of cruel and quick punishments upon anyone that dare cross him in any way was what his life had been. He was defying his nature. For her._

 _She looked back to his face, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly before turning and exiting one of the many Mikaelson mansions, one of the many he hopes to see her in. He looked after her, smiling triumphantly._

 _Patience is a virtue._

"Of course." He looked as if he was about to get in, but stopped, turning again, "Tell your friend Bonnie the Armory is not to be trusted." He finally hopped in and closed the door, leaving Caroline looking on curiously as he drove away.

 **PAGE BREAK**

Caroline entered the mansion, noticing her suitcase and the duffle bag that had been in the bottom of the stroller were still abandoned near the threshold, but the stroller was nowhere in sight. She walked towards her things, but noticing Emeline mopping where Klaus had thrown his glass walked past the luggage and towards Emeline instead. Caroline stopped at the large inactive fountain on the right side of room. The house was quiet, but if she listened could hear someone scribbling away while standing up and flipping through a book every once in awhile in one of the upstairs rooms. She assumed it was Kol. Elijah must have been playing with the girls, because she heard a high pitched voice talking about going swimming, presumably his voice for one of the dolls. She giggled at how ridiculous it was, causing Emeline to start.

"Miss Caroline, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

"That's alright Emeline. And just Caroline, please. Do you need any help?"

"Oh, no. Sir Klaus would have my head if he knew I allowed that, quite literally." Emeline turned to face her. Caroline cracked a smile at the joke. Or maybe it wasn't a joke.

"He makes you call him 'Sir Klaus'? _Seriously?_ " Emeline smiled kindly.

"No, I'm in my family's business of being paid servants. It is taught very early on to use 'Sir' and 'Miss' when addressing and speaking of or directly to our bosses and guests, unless told otherwise. Since my ancestors worked for the Mikaelsons long ago, before they left New Orleans, I was hired when they returned, as well as a few other family members. We used to be compelled to stay silent, but Miss Hayley and Sir Elijah convinced him to loosen up on us servants." Caroline nodded every once in a while and smiled as the woman babbled on, reminding her of her old self.

"And you get paid?" Emeline nodded.

"Handsomely."

"Do you remember that you work for vampires when you leave for the day?"

"No." There was a short silence, and Emeline spoke, "I apologize for leaving your things by the entrance, I wanted to show you your room myself, so that you wouldn't have to search for the room I put your things in. The stroller is with Hope's, though they haven't used it in a while. Time flies, I suppose."

"That's fine. Could you just show me my room, and then I'll go see the girls."

"Yes, of course." Emeline leaned the mop against the wall, and walked over to the suitcase and bag, strapping the bag across her chest and walked with the rolling suitcase. Caroline waited for her to near and took the luggage from her, surprisingly receiving no protest. She followed Emeline up the staircase, lifting the luggage with ease as they climbed the first flight of stairs. They walked to the right and around one of corners, and into a large room with a four poster bed on the left wall, a wardrobe on the back wall, and on the left wall was a dresser. There were hardwood floors and wallpaper, both fade with age. There were three windows each on the back and right walls, each with faded wooden shutters on the outside. The furniture was obviously custom fit to not cover the windows at all. She walked in after Emeline, who placed the bag on the bed, Caroline following suit.

"Do you know where the girls are staying?" Caroline asked, because there was only one bed.

"In the room next door, of course. I heard Sir Elijah calling and ordering two child-sized beds." Caroline nodded, unsurprised by the courtesy.

"It's a beautiful house. Why did they let it get so... old?" Caroline asked, running her hand across the peeling wallpaper on her way to the window closest to her.

"When the Mikaelsons were in power, it was a beautifully maintained home, I'm told. When Marcel took over, it more or less became a party house." Caroline turned away from her view of the active street, curious look in her eyes.

"Who is Marcel?"

"He was family to the Mikaelsons. And… never mind. It is most likely wisest to allow Sir Klaus to inform you of what he wishes you to know." Caroline felt a spike of frustration, but didn't push the woman.

"Thank you for your help, Emeline. I'll let you get back to work." Emeline nodded and left, closing the French doors behind her. Caroline unzipped her suitcase, and began to place her clothes into the dresser. Her movements became robotic as thoughts began sprinting through her mind.

She was here, in New Orleans, and even now she could smell delicious food cooking, and hear multiple jazz tunes from the street. The culture was obvious in the buildings and people she had already seen in this city, and street painters as well as art museums were everywhere. Here she is, surrounded by food, music, art, culture, and all she can think about is how she thinks she might already want him to show it to her.

Sometimes she thinks Klaus Mikaelson was always part of her plan. The inevitability of him had just always been so prominent. And now she's here in the city that never sleeps, perfect for vampires, if you think about it, and she's drowning in him. The possibility that he's inevitable was so much easier to keep at bay when he wasn't around. In Mystic Falls after he left, and especially Houston, she was never drowning. In Mystic Falls she was reminded by him every once in awhile; when she drove by the empty mansion, or when she looked across the pond at the Founder's Hall, or when she caught a glimpse of that dress in the back of her closet, among many other things. In Houston it was hardly ever, maybe once or twice a year that she had thought about him. He was on her mind very often, of course, in both places; his tattoos, his smile, his dimples, his curly hair, his smirk, his eyes, his arms around her, his art, just _everything_ about him would somehow worm it's way into her head so that if she saw a feather his tattoo would flash through his mind; things like that. But in Houston she had only let herself _really_ think about Klaus about once a month. She focused on other things; like her kids and book club and the wedding and Stefan.

But now she's here, and she's already feeling as if she's drowning in his essence. She had promised herself, she had promised _Ric_ , that nothing would happen while she was here.

 _Even if it's inevitable, and even if I'm drowning; nothing will happen. Nothing can happen._

She left the duffle bag packed after finishing with the suitcase, and walked towards the room where she could hear Elijah trying to convince the girls to take a bath.

 **PAGE BREAK**

One thing was clear; she doesn't love the history teacher. Not in that way, at least. And she was _here_. He had expected it to take longer, at least a decade. He should've known it would take less time, simply because she would have needed his help at some point. Part of him was proud that she would come to him, part of him was hurt that she was practically using him. And for the first time since she arrived, he let himself wonder,

 _Maybe this isn't the visit she'll fall in love with me on._

He felt sadness at just the thought.

However, patience is a virtue. He knows he will be her last.:

 _Caroline threw her cap and gown at the base of the stage, in the pile of others exactly like hers; the gowns of the kids she had grown up with. She was smiling. She had actually done it. Even with all the craziness in her life, she had graduated high school. And on time, nonetheless._

 _But she was also smiling because she could hear his footsteps approach behind her. She turned around to see him walking slowly towards her._

" _How'd you get here so fast?"_

" _I was already on my way." She raised her eyebrows in an 'Oh, really?' fashion. "I received your graduation announcement." He offered as an explanation, reaching into the breast pocket of his suit and pulling out a card, quickly re-reading it for the hundredth time. "It's… very subtle." She closed her eyes and grimaced in an embarrassed way. "I assume you're expecting cash?" She was smiling now._

" _That, or a mini fridge."_

" _Well I had considered offering you a first class ticket to join me in New Orleans." She dropped the smile off her face immediately, feeling unbelievably conflicted. She shouldn't want to go, she_ _ **doesn't**_ _want to go, but part of her was thinking,_

 _ **This is it, this is when he convinces me to ride off into the sunset with him.**_

 _Except she's not ready yet._

" _But I knew what your answer would be." He sounded disappointed, but he also seemed… incredibly patient. "So I opted for something I knew you would accept." She tilted her chin up, as if challenging him. His face was telling her that he didn't want to say what he was about to say, but he did anyways. "Tyler is now free to return to mystic falls." The playful smile fell of her face and turned into one of shock, not completely believing what she had heard._

" _What?" Her voice was incredibly soft, so confused, so shocked._

 _ **That's not right; that doesn't make sense. He's not supposed to…**_ _ **what?**_ _**He's really just giving up, just like that? I mean, he hasn't been playing fair, but still. Oh my god, but**_ _ **Tyler**_ _ **. I get Tyler back. God, he's finally being the bigger person.**_

" _He's your first love." She let herself be happy, letting out a mix between a sigh and a laugh, and smiled as she looked at him. "I intend to be your last." Her smile shrank just a little bit, shocked yet again._

 _ **What is even happening?**_

 _He leaned forward quickly, and she thought he was going to kiss her, but she was too shocked to respond in any way. However, he simply kissed her cheek, and it was so soft and sweet, she wasn't sure what to think. That wasn't him, that wasn't Klaus. He's not gentle or sweet. Even when he had opened up to her on their date he had been careful with his words; reserved and closed off. Except maybe when they had been laughing._

 _He had seemed genuinely happy._

 _ **What is happening?**_

 _He lingered for a moment by her face, breathing her in, her skin, her hair, her eyes, her dazed smile,_ _ **everything**_ _. She turned her face slightly towards him, but made no other move, and they rested there for a moment, lips near each other but not near enough. But she made no other move, and neither did he._

 _She breathed him in during this moment. His lips, his eyes, his hair, his scent, his emotion,_ _ **everything.**_ _If she looked hard enough at his shoulder she could see the feather tattoo through his suit._

 _He pulled back from her and noticed she was smiling. He whispered, "Congratulations Caroline." She laughed. He linked his arm through hers. "Let's get out of here. Before twelve angry hybrids decide to pick a fight." She scoffed. They walked arm in arm through the dark, leaving the graduation stage behind._

 _For a moment she let herself believe they were walking away from her old life, about to get on a plane._

Klaus heard his phone vibrate, and glanced down to see his the screen lit up with a notification of an email from Freya. He kept one hand on the wheel, and unlocked his phone, and turning his attention to the email.

 _There's a storm, and we have to go around it. Delayed 40 min to an hour. You're rid of me for a while yet. We need to talk when I get back home. All of us._

Klaus was about to turn the car around, but, rather suddenly, decided against it, driving a few more blocks and parking on the curb of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1. He walked over to the old pickup truck parked by the gates, purchasing flowers from Theo, a French quarter witch who sells flowers out of the back of his truck.

"Hey, Klaus. The usual?"

"Yes, please. Can you add a few more flowers this time?" Theo nodded and got up from his position on the open bed of the truck, gathering the flowers, speaking as he did so.

"Vincent told us at the coven meeting this morning that Freya is returning today. Does that mean we can start using ancestral magic again?"

"I'm sure you've all already asked Vincent the same question. I have the same answer."

"It was worth a shot." The young dark-skinned witch said, grinning. "Whatever Freya is planning, she needs to do it fast. The ancestors are starting to wake." Theo informed Klaus, handing him the plastic wrapped bouquet.

" _What?"_ Klaus growled out. "When did this happen? Why has no one informed me?"

"This morning. It seems like there's only two awake; the ones who died more recently are waking sooner. They told us all to use the herb. We all did, Vincent made sure of it. We were all at that meeting. As for why you don't know, beats me. Vincent is the Ambassador to the Witches, not me."

"So everyone's safe? They can't get in your heads?"

"You should let the vampires know as well, and maybe tell Hayley to let the werewolves know. They were able to get in Kol's head. We shouldn't take any chances."

"Is there enough of the herb mixture to go around?"

"We've been growing it for three years in every supernatural owned greenhouse in New Orleans. There's enough. And for now every ancestor awake is on our side. They're still extremely weak, but they can try to keep the others down for a while."

"Thank you, Theo." He handed Theo the total for the flowers along with a large tip, and said. "Right now I want you to go make as many bottles of the potion as possible. Recruit as many as my people as you need. But first, before anything else, I want you to bring a bottle to my mansion. Tell Elijah what is happening and let him know the bottle is for Caroline."

"Sure, Klaus, just let me abandon my business on the busiest cemetery visit day of the week to do a favor for the vampire king." Klaus smirked.

"I knew you'd understand." Klaus said, smirking as he left Theo and entered the cemetery.

The painting from the night he learned her name rested against her grave. He himself keeps both the painting and the grave maintained. He rested the bouquet of magnolias at the foot of her tomb. He lit the candles next to it with the book of matches from the bar she had worked at, and sat down on the small bench near her tomb, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his thighs, hands clasped together, sighing.

"An old friend came to town today. I… her name is Caroline. I met her in Mystic Falls." He leaned back and looked up, unsure what to say next. He looked back to the name on the grave and spoke after a few moments. "I was in love with her when I met you, Camille. I was in love with her while I was falling in love with you. So, when you were writing my memoir I didn't tell you about her, even if she is someone I want to remember, because it was too soon, too fresh. And because I felt guilty." He took a breath. "I met you, and you reminded me of her. You were this beautiful blonde woman who was strong, brave, confident, and light. You were like her. That night Marcel met you on the street, he and I had been watching you from a balcony. You were walking, and I thought you were her. Just for a few seconds. For a few seconds I thought she had come to New Orleans to find me. It turned out to be you, my Camille, and I felt disappointed and elated at the same time. I was falling in love with you as I was still in love with Caroline." He paused, pushing aside the guilt he was feeling so he could continue with his confession. "The similarities are what attracted me to you, but it is not what made me love you. Each day I knew you the similarities faded. Although the two of you understood me in this impossible way, and that I will never be able to comprehend. But where Caroline radiates light from every crevice of her soul, mind and body, you project this light, but there are - were," Klaus took a breath, eyes full of tears threatening to spill, "cracks in you. Cracks where darkness threatened to burst through. I loved that, I love each of you for that. Where Caroline holds onto her humanity, her light, with the force of all the French quarter witches, you let it go. You embraced your anger, this darkness that was in you. I love those things about you two as well." He looked at the ground, a tear falling down his face. "You both wanted to live. However, where I could save Caroline, I could not save you... I hate that. I hate that I couldn't save you." He was silent for what felt like ten minutes, but was only seconds. "You are both extraordinary. I loved you both with love I had believed impossible my whole life. But when you told me that you were never naive enough to think you were my light, I didn't protest. That have been because at the moment I felt as if I could not speak, only cry, due to what was coming. But also because you were right. I have light inside me, but I hadn't before I met Caroline. It started when I met her, and it grew as I loved her. Caroline is my light. And I'm sorry that you weren't. I did love you, Camille. My brave bartender. I loved you so much. I will always love you. Remember? I will carry you with me; you're immortal in that way. But the moment I met Caroline Forbes, this seed was planted in me, and it pushed through my insides, it hurt like hell, and I didn't understand what was happening, because before her I had never experienced that kind of love, or the pain that can accompany it. It was almost always nothing but pain. Although there were these brief moments where it wasn't pain, it was _life_. And at the end of all that pain, this extraordinary flower was wrapped around my heart, and it was a feeling only second to holding my daughter for the first time, because she _wanted_ _me_. Caroline Forbes wanted _me._ But then I had to leave, and the vine the flower blossomed from sprouted thorns, and a constant pain in my chest accompanied these thorns. After a while that numbed, but I would see something I knew she would love, and the thorns would grow larger, pierce further. And Camille, my Cami, you were able to make the pain go away at times, but you never planted a seed of your own. You merely grew a flower off of that vine, and though it was a beautiful, wonderful, amazing flower, it did not match up to the other blossom. Caroline's love allowed me to love you, because had I not met her I would be even more of a monster than the one you met. I would not trade our love story, Cami." He paused again, looking at the painting. "I wanted you. But I _need_ her; this life she breathes into me. And I needed your love; you saved me. It's just that- well; the moment I met Caroline Forbes, other flowers ceased to have a true chance." He wasn't sure where he was going, so he allowed himself a few moments to think, before speaking again. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that you were something magnificent, but she is _everything_ magnificent. She is my happy ending."

Klaus sat with her for a while more, silent. As he rose off the bench, he wiped his eyes and walked out of the beautiful cemetery, his hands in the pockets of his jacket. His mind was emptier than it had been in years, because there were only three thoughts on his mind.

 _Would Cami be hurt?_

 _Did Caroline ever love me?_

 _Will she ever love me?_


	9. Plane Ride Prophecies

"You know," Caroline said, leaning against the door frame. "I never would have thought you would be so good with children." All three figures on the floor of the playroom looked towards the door frame where she was leaning, Elijah not looking embarrassed in the slightest, the two barbie dolls in his hand, his tie a little crooked, no doubt from Josie's tendency to pull on whatever she can. Lizzy and Josie immediately dropped their dolls and ran forward to hug their mom, pulling away to start telling her everything that had happened.

"Mommy!"

"Uncle Elijah's niece has so many dolls!"

"And Nerf guns!"  
"And he got me Finding Dory sheets!"  
"And I got Rapunzel!"

"And he promised that we could go to the park anytime we want, and that we could have whatever food-"

"And that we can play with his niece!"

"Well that's great, girls! Make sure you tell him thank about you go play with the toys some more, while me and Uncle Elijah have some grown-up time."  
"Okay, mommy!" Josie was already running back to the mat on the floor as Elijah was rising from his knelt position on the interlocking foam mats.

"You won't leave again, right?" Caroline looked down at Elizabeth, who looked so small and so scared, and remembered why she was here.

 _This. This is why I'm here, this is why I have to put myself through the confusion that is Klaus Mikaelson again._

 _So that_ _ **they**_ _can be safe._

Caroline got down on her knees and looked Lizzy in her beautiful blue eyes.

"Lizzy, you won't ever be alone. I promise you. And I'll probably be spending a lot of time here."  
"It's just… this house is scary." She looked down at the ground, embarrassed. Caroline smiled gently, knowing Josie often teases her about being a scaredy-cat. She leaned down and whispered.

"You don't have to be scared of this house. Do you know why?" Lizzy shook her head 'no.' "This is a home! It's just like our house; there's love and happiness, and the brothers and sisters fight sometimes. There's mud on the floors and there's a drawer in the kitchen full of things we don't know what to do with." Lizzy considered what she said, then shrugged.

"I guess you're right." She said, and skipped over to the mat to join her sister. Elijah walked out of the room and Caroline followed him into the hallway. They started walking.

"So, I trust Klaus has agreed to help you with whatever it is you need." Elijah said, knowing Klaus would do nearly anything for her, whether she knows that or not.

 _Perhaps she does, if she's here. She might not have come all this way if she hadn't been sure._  
"Yeah, he did. Do you mind us staying here? A hotel is really no issue."

"I will hear of no such thing. Besides, I know it's only two years difference, but I do miss this age."

"Thank you so much. Oh, and the 'Uncle Elijah' thing. I just… the girls don't have a lot of family left, and I figured you're a pretty good role model, you know, with the whole 'honorable and noble' thing, and I just… it just came out." He smiled kindly.

"Caroline Forbes, may I say that you were always better than them."  
"Who?"

"Your friends. The Mystic Falls gang. You were always the smartest, and always the kindest." Her face showed shock. "You were always my personal favorite."  
"Even over Elena? Really?"

 _That doesn't- he's always seemed so partial to Elena. Just like everyone else._  
"Even over Elena. There's no issue with the, ah- 'uncle thing,' as you put it. And whether this ends up being a permanent arrangement or not-"

"It won't." Elijah knew that Caroline choosing Klaus wasn't among the highest of possibilities, but he also knew Klaus and Caroline had a stronger history than she'd like to admit. And, well, with his relatively new revived hope in love, he liked to believe Klaus could find some sort of happiness in the romance department. His brother and Caroline seemed to be a fifty/fifty shot to him, in the end. But who could ever really be sure?

"Regardless, I realize we have not always been on the best of terms, but if you need anything, I will help as well. I owe you a lot, Caroline Forbes. I really don't know how you did it."

"Did what?" They were reaching the end of the hallway, and Elijah turned to face her, stopping.

"Changed him. You saved him, to be quite honest. The first time I had seen him show remorse, or love, for that matter, in more than a thousand years was after he met you. I tried to help him, but I could never get through to him. You did, in less time than it takes to get an unhealthy fast food meal." Caroline wasn't sure what to say, the heaviness of his words shocking her. She settled for a graceful, and not-awkward at all, 'Oh.' Elijah smiled, looking at his phone which had just vibrated, just as the doorbell rang. They both looked down to the lower floor in interest, hearing a man ask for Elijah. He sped down the flight of stairs and disappeared into the foyer, Emeline returning to the main room within seconds.. Caroline immediately turned on her ears, the voices coming through as if she was hearing them through the radio.

"Elijah, Klaus told me to tell you this is for Caroline. There should be more coming for all of you soon."  
"Is this…"  
"Yes. They're waking."  
"Thank you, Theo. We're going to need two more vials of this than we usually would."

"I'll let them know." Caroline heard the doors close, and began to walk down the stairs.

 **~PAGE BREAK~**

As soon as the plane crossed the border into New Orleans not an hour after they had encountered the storm, Freya woke from her short lived, troubled slumber with a start. The irritating man occupying the seat next to her, who had been flirting with her for nearly the whole time she had been awake, asked playfully if she had had a nightmare.

"The ancestors." Was all Freya supplied in response, her voice raspy from sleep, sounding as if she had just experienced an intense realization, and the man's face became puzzled.

"I'm sorry, wha-" Freya's eyes suddenly rolled into the back of her head as her head fell back, her arms jumping from the bag lying in her lap in order to grip the armrests. The man immediately began to panic, asking her if she was okay, if she needed anything, what he could do, receiving no response. He reached out to grip her shoulder, but something contorted his hand as soon as he got close, causing him to call out in pain. A few fellow passengers muttered in annoyance at the outburst, showing no real concern. Freya began to speak, causing the man to stop his whimpering. There were seemingly two other voices speaking along with her.

 **A foe shall rise once more.**

 **A family will be at war.**

 **A friend shall plea for aid.**

 **You will all be betrayed.**

Freya's body relaxed and she slumped over in her seat, hugging the backpack.

"Fuck."

"What the hell was that?!" Asked a wide eyed, out of breath man next to Freya. She looked up, eyes stormy.

"That, John, was a prophecy,"

"My hand is shattered!"

"I see that."

"Are you, like, a crazy psychic voodoo lady or something?" Freya chuckled.

"Or something."  
"So was that 'prophecy' good?"  
"Did it sound good, John?"

"I mean, the friend part didn't seem _so_ bad. But did _you_ do this to my hand? Or were you channeling like some craz-" They man suddenly slumped over in his seat, seemingly sound asleep, Freya's hand leaving the pressure point on his wrist. She then began to run over what she had seen in her mind when the prophecy was given to her. She had seen something eerily similar to the first prophecy she had received during her time with the rest of the Mikaelsons; it had been blood splattering across the family portrait, the one Klaus had hired somebody to paint because paintings like this aren't his "style." They were all in it; Elijah, Klaus, Kol, Hayley, Hope, and herself. Everyone but Rebekah. She had seen a light skinned and snarling mouth. She had seen flashes of two sets of pale children's hands clinging onto the desiccating hand of a vampire, she had seen blonde hair with blood dripping from it, she had witnessed the mark that plagued Rebekah burn red, and she had seen Hope wailing. She had seen tears streaming down Kol's face, and her own hand outstretched, obviously casting a spell causing a dark skinned man to kneel over. She had looked at red locks of hair and a paintbrush flying over a canvas, and blood flowing on bourbon street. She sighed.

"We really don't need this right now."

Freya had been growing her always-slightly-wavy hair out over the past three years, and now it was almost past her shoulder blades. It was tied up in a ponytail as she exited the jet bridge, her face free of makeup. She was wearing sweatpants and a gray v-neck t-shirt, wanting to be comfortable for the long plane ride. The black backpack she was carrying strained her shoulders, but she was not going to leave objects as valuable as these in her luggage. The bag had remained safely in her lap the whole plane ride. She walked through the door at the end and stepped into the actual airport, smiling tightly in the direction of the man at the computer to her left as she walked past. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Klaus waiting for her.  
"Rough flight, sister?" He asked, smirking as she approached.  
"You have no idea." She answered, her american accent in stark contrast with his british one. She hugged him as soon as she reached him. He seemed a little surprised by the gesture, stiffening, but relaxed and hugged her back anyways. She had been gone a whole month, after all.

"That's why you really shouldn't fly coach, Freya. And I don't understand why you're so insistent on family picking you up from this cess-pool, rather than a driver." Freya rolled her eyes and scoffed, pushing past him.

"Let's just get my luggage. We have a lot to talk about."

"Did you find it?" Freya sighed.

"Yes."

"What do we have to do?"  
"You know I can't tell you anything else right now."

"To hell you can't." He growled.

"You've been trying that threatening thing on all of us for two years.. It hasn't worked once." Freya sent a quick text and Klaus' phone buzzed.  
"On the contrary, Elijah has revealed many things to me."  
"Only because of your 'sacred brother bond'. And because he's weak." She poked, causing Klaus to chuckle, and they walked to the luggage pickup in silence. Klaus left her to pull the car up to the doors, hearing the buzzer signalling that the conveyer belt would begin to spit out luggage as he left.

The car ride was silent for the first few minutes, until Freya finally spoke.  
"The ancestors are waking."  
"Just as we knew they would. Eventually. What happened to not telling me anything, dear sister?"  
"Keep it up and I'll stop." Klaus smirked, looking over at her.

"You were gone for longer than expected. You didn't keep in contact."  
"Yes, well, wifi and cell service typically don't tend to be too strong where ancient dark objects are hidden. And I sent Vincent message, he didn't tell you?"  
"Seems like he's been keeping a lot of things from me."  
"Cut him a break, Klaus. Being regent isn't easy."  
"Part of that title that seems to be so bloody important to you lot is communicating with the other parties in our lovely city."

"I'm sure he's just busy."  
"Of course you are." Freya rolled her eyes

"How's Hope?"  
"She made you a card for Valentine's Day."

"Really?" There was pure happiness in Freya's voice. He looked at her, surprised.

"Of course. You're her Aunt. She made one for all of us, of course, but she threw a rather large fit when you weren't here for her to present it to."  
"Well I'm sure she's forgotten about it by now."  
"Doesn't mean she hasn't missed you."  
"Well I've definitely missed her. What else have I missed?"  
"Hayley and Elijah have been sneaking around and whispering amongst themselves more than usual, Kol is still holed up in the library, Josh is still bringing him coffee every morning and staying for half the day, Hope is still the smartest girl in her class, and no one has died. Oh, and an old friend came to visit."  
"Sounds about right. Except for the no one dying part, that's a pretty weird. Which old friend visited?"

"Caroline. She's going to be staying for a while."

"Caroline Forbes?" He looked at her suspiciously.

"You label your drawings sometimes."  
"Why were you looking through my drawings?"  
"Why is she here?"  
"She needs help."  
 _ **A friend shall plead for aid.**_

"Huh." They pulled into the lot behind the mansion. "So I bet you're happy she's here." Klaus made a bitch face as they got out of the car.

"Yes, I'm so happy that she's finally come to me after all these years, engaged to another man just so she can use my feelings for her as a way to get help from the most powerful family on earth. Just ecstatic." They walked around to the front door and entered, Klaus hearing someone or other exit the staff door and lift out Freya's luggage as they entered the house.

"Emeline, prepare the study, please. We'll be having the group here for a meeting soon."  
"Yes, Miss." Emeline said, heading upstairs. Klaus cocked his head, listening to the house around him. He heard what he recognized as the elevator in the Barbie Dream House going up, and Caroline using a voice that is not her own, the girls as well, their sentences slow and broken like any other three year old's. Klaus smiled.

"What?" Freya asked, referring to his goofy smile.

"Just Caroline. She's playing with her daughters." He supplied.  
" _Daughters?"_

"Yes. They're about three years old. Twins."  
"Hope isn't going to like that."

"Like what?"

"Other kids around. Touching her stuff. Shortening her time with us."

"What? Of course she will. It'll be great for her to have more kids around." Klaus said, unable to comprehend that Hope could ever do anything wrong.  
"Mhmm." Freya responded, unimpressed. "Come on, let's wait upstairs. Or I will. You can spend your time talking to _Caroline_." She said the name as if they were brother and sister in grade school, teasing each other about their individual crushes. Klaus rolled his eyes.

"Don't you have a phone call to make? To _Vincent._ " He said it in the same fashion, as he headed up the stairs in front of her.


	10. Some See A Pen(cil)

He had told another one of the help, one that wasn't Emma, to prepare Josie's and Elizabeth's room, Caroline telling them to just take the duffle bag from her room and leave it in there, and that she'd take care of it. And now she was cleaning the playroom, the twins having gone to see their room, full of excitement.

"You don't have to do that, you know." He said, eyeing her behind as she picked up dolls and doll accessories from the floor.

"I know." He stepped forward, finally stopping himself from ogling her, and closed the Barbie dreamhouse, pushing it back against the wall.

"Hope didn't like the antique dollhouse. Well, she did, until Kol bought her this." Klaus sounded a little bitter. Caroline loaded some Nerf bullets into a gun and put it in a toy box, turning to face him. He was standing as he does, his arms behind his back, smirking at her. "I trust Theo got that herb mixture to you."

"I'm happy for you. Proud of you." Her voice came off as serious, in stark contrast to his constant playful attitude. The distance between them was prominent, as they were both on other sides of the room. Some part of her wondered why her feet kept trying to move forward.

"For what?" His tone curious,  
"You're happy. I can see it, just in the way you carry yourself, and how your eyes are different." She didn't elaborate, even though she wanted to.

 _It's like the pain is still there, but they're… I guess it kind of looks like healing scars, if you can understand what I mean by that. And you don't look angry all the time anymore. I mean, you didn't always. But most of the time._  
"I supposed I'm as happy as I can be." Caroline wished she could tell him he deserves so much more than believing he doesn't deserve anything. But she keeps her mouth shut and he keeps talking. "Some people are coming over for a meeting, and Emma will be taking Hope to the park. She can take the girls if you like."  
"I think you mean Emeline. And that would be nice for them. What was that stuff for, anyways?"  
"To keep the ancestors out of your head."  
"What do the ancestors want with my head?"

"I'll tell you later. We don't have the time right now."  
"Do you have somewhere to be?"  
"Yes, love. The meeting is soon, people should be arriving in about thirty minutes. Does that disappoint you?" It did, not that she would ever admit it.

"You're awfully busy lately."  
"As I recall, I've always been this busy." _But you always made time for me._

He wanted desperately to close the distance between them, but for the first time in a long while he was unsure of himself.  
"Will you promise me something?" He looked at her to continue, knowing full well his answer was going to be yes. "Tonight, at whatever time you finish with whatever it is you have going on, will you tell me everything? Everything I've missed?" He smirked.

"Well, that could take more than one night, love."  
"Then show me the highlights. Everything that matters. Or just tell me over a few days. Just tell me."  
"Why?" His voice was almost demanding.  
"Well, because… I don't know. I guess I don't know what's happened with you since you left and-"  
"Since _I_ left?" Now he took a step forward.

"Well, yes, Klaus, since you left." Caroline responded, confusion in her voice evident.

 _Why does he seem mad?_  
"You wanted me gone. I wasn't apart of your precious plan. You didn't want me!" One of the help closed the french doors discreetly. Caroline scoffed.

"That's bull and you know it!" She shot back. Both of their voices had been gradually rising in volume throughout this exchange. They had been taking steps towards each other, and now she was standing on a blue square, and he was on red, and there was a yellow square and a green square between them. It was so much closer than before, but it wasn't close enough, not for either of them. "I wanted you. You know it."  
 _Past tense. Past tense. Past tense. Past tense._

"Actually, I don't love." He said quietly. "You may have wanted my body, and my amazing sexual abilities, sure, but you never wanted _me_."

 _God, he's_ _ **so**_ _arrogant._

"Klaus-" She tried to step forward, but he held out his hand for her to stop.  
"I don't understand why you're bothering with lying, Caroline. Even if you were to admit, to confess the truth, I would still help you. I will always help you." He echoed her truth from earlier in the day. They were quiet for a moment, Klaus simply having run out of things to say, and Caroline trying to understand what he was so upset about. The only conclusion she could come to was that he truly believes that she hadn't wanted him.

 _How could he possibly think that?_

"I could've fallen in love with you." She admitted softly. He looked at her sharply, almost disbelievingly. "I could've, Klaus. And I know, I realize, that being in love with you could've been amazing. But I couldn't let myself. I couldn't- they wouldn't have understood. And I wasn't ready to let Tyler go, and even when I had, they still wouldn't have understood."  
"What did that matter?" He asked so softly she almost missed it.  
"I would have lost them. I wasn't, I'm not, okay with that. I never will be." He looked away from her, turned away completely, walking back towards left wall to gaze across the sun beginning to set on his set on his city, but really just to avoid looking at her.

"Maybe it would have been worth it." It was so quiet she almost missed it,

"Maybe. But we missed our window, Klaus. You know it as just well as I do." He swallowed his protests as he heard her open the door and leave the room, his knuckles white as he gripped the window sill, wondering if perhaps he had detected regret in her voice.

"I don't." He whispered. He doesn't think he'll ever believe they missed their window. Klaus wondered again why she cared what had been going on with him. Why she didn't just take his help and leave.

 _Does she care about me? I knew she saw the good in me… but for her to_ _ **care**_ _?"_

 **~PAGE BREAK~**

Caroline found the library on her own; it hadn't been too hard, it was on the same level as the play room. When she entered, she was greeted by the one and only Kol Mikaelson shuffling papers around. He didn't look up as she entered, noting that he smelled terrible, and he was trying out facial hair.

"Has it really been forty minutes? I'll be there in a minute, Nik, just let me-" She fake coughed, causing him to look up.

There was crazy in his eyes. Not like the crazy before. No, this was the type of crazy caused by guilt, caused by heartbreak and anger. He grinned wolfishly.  
"Ah, Caroline. I thought I'd heard a familiar voice. Have you finally answered my brothers wishes in, ah, what was it, oh yes, taking you, anywhere you want to go? Rome, Paris, Tokyo." She looked at him quizzically. "People talk on the other side, darling. The other side in which _your_ friends put me." He said, pointing his finger at her decisively. Before she could move he had her pressed up against the wall, digging his forearm into her throat, causing her to gasp for air, holding a pencil over her heart. "I should let you know some souls over there were rooting for you and my brother. Give me one good reason I shouldn't send you to speak with them about it." He said, his grin terrifying, his lust for murder obvious. She continued to gasp for breath, and he loosened up less than a centimeter for her to speak. She choked out one word.  
"Kl-aus." He laughed, pressing the tip of the pencil to her shirt.

"He'll get over you. I mean,I guess he already has. And he managed to get over _that_ blonde as well." Caroline began struggling at this point, her human instincts kicking in as she began to feel a desperate need for air. And still, even in this somewhat dire situation, she wondered.

 _ **That**_ _blonde? What the hell does that mean?_

"You know, isn't is strange to think that just a few years ago, if you had shown up, I wouldn't have killed you? I mean, I wouldn't have liked you, sure, but I would've let Klaus have a go at you, perhaps even been happy for him." She was too weak. He was too strong. Her vision began to go red. She wondered about her daughters.

 _Will Klaus take good care of them? He'd better_

"Funny, how all the good can leave a person in… an instant. How it can be ending by a single, earth shattering loss." Kol pressed the pencil further into her chest, breaking her breast plate and releasing her throat, causing her to gasp for air, and then immediately gasp in pan as she felt the graphite touch the edge of her heart.

 _After everything I've been through… death by pencil._

She could almost laugh. And then she couldn't find it funny, because she can't die now. Not after everything. She reached up her hand and snapped the pencil in half, ignoring the pain of the other half remaining in her chest. Kol chuckled as he stepped back.

"You want to fight?" He asked, amused. "Fine by me." He grinned. She threw the half of the pencil onto the ground, breathing heavily, her blue eyes full of fire.

"You, Kol Mikaelson, are a disgusting pile of scum that plagues this earth, and always have been. I won't waste my fight on you. I can wait until you're not in here to get started on what I need to do, seeing as you can't control yourself." She turned and stomped out the room she had barely entered, hearing Kol laugh behind her.

"I think I just remembered why I haven't killed you yet, darling!" He called out after her. She walked normally, the pencil in her merely a slight is, until her chest began to heal over the open wound, pushing the pencil deeper. She groaned and kneeled over, clutching her chest.

"Shit." She pushed out through clenched teeth as her breast tissue began to heal, each and every reformation pushing the pencil further into her chest until she felt it start to pierce her heart. She leaned against the wall and clutched her chest, attempting to blink away the pain, struggling to keep quiet. She didn't want Kol to hear her hurt because of him. She began to claw at her chest but she wasn't breaking the skin, she was too disoriented to put in the strength needed. She felt a piece of the pencil break off from the end where she had snapped it, moving around inside her, desperately searching for a place that wouldn't heal over it. She groaned, finally breaking her silence.

Klaus' head snapped up and towards the door, hearing Caroline groan of distress. He was immediately kneeling by her side, gripping her shoulders as she clawed at her chest.

"Caroline, I _told_ you Kol would be in the library." Klaus said, scooping her up and vamping away, throwing her onto his bed, not in the way he would of preferred.  
"Now is not the time to say 'I told you so' when-" She gasped. "There is half a Ticonderoga pencil moving into my heart." He moved her so she was sitting against the headboard, getting on the bed and sitting on his knees next to her. Klaus took off her shirt, examining the wound.

"Okay, love, I-"  
"How in the _hell_ were you so calm while this was happening to you?" She practically screamed.

 _Klaus gripped the edge of the desk, his face contorting in pain and rocking back and forward slightly, doing his best to keep in the curses he wanted to let out. He couldn't feel the blood running down his back any longer, he could only feel the pain inside his back where Caroline was poking around with a gardening tool. She moved it upwards and peered in, Klaus hearing her morbidly curious voice._

" _Oh my god. You do have a heart!" She said, feigning surprise and pushing back down towards his lower back and growled through clenched teeth, somehow gripping the desk tighter. "Ohp, my bad. It's just a bloody rib."  
_ " _Well I'm glad you're finding my misery so amusing." His voice almost managed to come out sounding as if there weren't a pair of garden clippers inside him. She ignored him, peering into the small hole besides his triangle tattoo as best she could, searching. "And If you think I'm having_ _ **fun**_ _," She stopped with the relentless poking around, looking at the back of his head, "you're insane." She moved it some more. Exasperated by her insisted use of the tool, he spoke._

" _Ugh, I swear there's nothing in here." She moved the tool the the right inside him._

" _You killed twelve witches for your friend Bonnie. You can't even get your hands a little dirty for me? Here I thought we were becoming friends."_

" _Well you thought wrong." She applied a little too much pressure and too fast of movement out of anger, causing him to scream and slam his fist on the table multiple times._

" _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, placing a cool hand on his back to settle him down, never one to enjoy causing someone pain. He gripped the edges of the desk again, breathing heavy. "I'm_ _ **sorry**_ _." She almost sounded annoyed by this time._

 _This girl would be the death of him._  
"Caroline, I can't get out the pieces without going in, which means you'll have to be awake-" He winced as she called out in pain, gripping his arm tightly. "awake while I stick my hand in your chest, or I can break your neck."

"You can do what?!" He grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him.

"Caroline, you won't feel it if you're dead."

"You didn't need me to break your neck!" she winced at an unseeable pain.

"I'm a thousand years old, love." He explained gently. "And I don't really enjoy being in vulnerable positions." He moved one of his hands up, caressing one side of her face gently. She didn't pull away, almost leaning into his touch. She wouldn't even admit this to herself at the moment, but his rough palm against her face was almost comforting.  
"Neither do I!" She exclaimed, frustrated. "Besides, it's not like I have the best history with getting my neck broken."  
"Do you trust me?" He asked earnestly, their eyes locking, Caroline forgetting that there was a possibly fatal pencil in her as she stared up into his green eyes, his free hand wrapping around one of hes. She nodded. He leaned down and kissed her forehead before twisting her head with the hand that had been comforting her moments ago. He barely resisted whimpering at the break, unable to stop himself from flinching. He shook his head, wondering where his strength had run off to. He laid her down on the bed, knowing he could not afford a moment to look at her without a trace of worry on her face. He sighed, swinging one of his legs over both of hers so that he was straddling her.

Snapping her neck hadn't been fun for him, but it really had been the best option. It stopped the healing process and allowed him to get out the pencil without causing her pain, until she wakes up, and will only have to deal with the healing. He ripped her shirt down the middle, remembering his last moments in this manner more fondly, and removed her bra, setting it on the left side of the bed, by her torn shirt. Bracing himself, the thrust his hand inside of her, searching. As he retrieved the pencil and the shard of wood, double checking for anything else, he vowed to kill Kol. Ridiculous, honestly. Just because his girlfriend died doesn't mean he has to act as though she had never made him want to be better.

Klaus ignored the fact that this is what he had done after Camille. Or, at least, tried to do.

Klaus put a towel over Caroline's bare chest and pulled up a chair to the bed, sitting down to wait for her to wake up, staring at her leaned back in his chair.

She did look without worry in her death, that much was true. But she did not look peaceful, or calm, or content or happy, or anything, for that matter. She looked nothing. And Klaus knew he never truly wanted to see her in this way.

Not like he had with Camille. Twice.

He could not handle it a third time. Not with Caroline.

His knuckles were white from gripping the arms of the chair, first having been flooded with nightmarish memories, and then even worse images of Caroline dead, dead at the hands of someone he had not been there to protect her from. Images of the strong woman dead for centuries before he tried to find her, her friends neglecting to tell him until he showed up. this time Hayley unable to convince him to bury her.

 _Everything you touch turns to poison!_

He doesn't like not knawing what goes on in her life. Still, he knew that if he were to be a part of it, her fate would be much worse than what the Salvatore brothers and their doppelgänger may bring her.

Perhaps it was best if she were adamant against any sort of dalliance between them. She should figure out how to escape Rayna Cruz and be done with him and the curse that befalls everyone in his life.

 _He stared at the bullet of white oak, alone in a room, a gun between him and it. The first and only gun he had ever had custom made, back in the days of duels. A miniscule 'KM' was engraved on the handle._

 _It is not that he wanted to die. Hell, a thousand years on this earth and he had hardly lived._

 _But he realized everything that had hurt his family was because of him. He had killed their mother, he had lied to them, and they had_ _ **believed**_ _him. They had trusted him and followed him blindly,_ _**ran**_ _with him. A life that was not a life. And within that not-life they, mostly him, had made enemies. And those were the enemies coming back to hurt him, and the people he loved. And he knows his death will not be punishment enough for his sins, but perhaps it may spare those he loves. His sireline is broken, and she would not die. Not Caroline, nor the people she cares for. And while his family will mourn his death, they will move on with life. They shall be safer without him. In this moment he recalled a moment in which he had admitted something to Caroline Forbes that he had never admitted to anyone else in his life._

" _ **You're free."  
**_ " _ **I'm not free. I'm dying."  
**_ " _ **And I could let you. Die. If that' what you want. If you really believe your existence has no meaning. I thought about it myself, once or twice over the centuries, truth be told."**_

 _And then he realised he had told her there was a whole world out there just waiting for her; art and music and cities and beauty. And that she could have all of it, if only she asked._

 _No one was here asking if he wanted to be saved, asking him if he wanted the world._ _ **She**_ _wasn't here. He loaded the gun and held the barrel to his chest, the cool circle of metal pressing through his shirt._

 _He would never be there to see her receive the world with open arms._

 _A thousand years he had lived, and yet it seemed so small. He had only truly enjoyed life in fleeting moments, moments that began with Caroline. It was so disappointing that they would not end with her. And it seemed he did not have enough memories with Hope, or with anyone he loved, for that matter. But if he didn't do this, the people he cares about will surely not have time to make the memories they deserve._

 _He would not close his eyes. He would face this head on, like a warrior._

 _Like Marcellus would._

 _But he could not keep his eyes open. The thought was almost funny; he thought himself the strongest being in this world, and yet he could not keep his eyes open when facing death. They were closed tight, and on the insides of his eyelids burned Caroline holding Hope, a vision of something that would never come to be if he did this, and he almost didn't pull the trigger._

 _But he had to. For his family._

 _He squeezed the trigger, bracing himself… nothing happened. He opened his eyes and looked down at the gun curiously. There was a hand over his, one of their fingers between his and the trigger just in time. He looked up to see Elijah standing over him,the light fixture above giving the illusion that Elijah carried a holy light._

" _Brother, please. We need you more than ever."  
_ " _I create nothing but pain for the people I love, Elijah." Klaus' burned with unwanted tears.  
_ " _No child is better off without their father." They had a brief staredown before Klaus released the gun._

" _Very well. I always wanted to die in the Sistine Chapel, anyways. There would be a rather beautiful symmetry to that, wouldn't you think? Perhaps my blood could reach the ceiling, make it truly factual in the idea that I poured my sweat_ _ **and**_ _blood into that." He said, smirking, a weak attempt to play off the incident._

" _Perhaps." Elijah responding, his expression unreadable as he let Klaus hold onto his pride, deciding to not discuss it further.  
_ Klaus spared the clock on his bedside table a glance and saw it had only been one minute since he had finished getting the wood out of Caroline's chest. She should be waking up in five to ten minutes. Klaus leaned over to the bedside table and pulled out his sketchbook, his pencil flying over the paper as if it had a mind of it's own for the first time it what seemed like forever.

 **~PAGE BREAK~**

"Kol, so kind of you to grace us with your presence." Elijah noted, pulling away from his position of his and Hayley's heads bent together as his brother entered the room, his face full of three days worth of beard. Kol looked around the room and saw Vincent and Freya holding hands, obviously ecstatic to be close to one another again. He felt the need to barf.

"You're lucky I'm even taking a break." Kol shot back, refusing to look at Freya as he swaggered to his seat.

It had been this way for three years, since Davina. He has somewhat forgiven Elijah, but Freya thinks that would be easier, given as she's new to the family.  
" _Lucky?_ May I remind you that attending these meetings is a privilege for you, especially considering your recent behavior." Hayley placed a comforting hand on his forearm, Kol pulled a chair out and sat down, putting his feet up on the table and resting his intertwined hands on his chest, leaning back and facing the ceiling, looking at nothing in particular, nothing but Davina Claire laughing on the inside of his eyelids.  
"Speaking of which, Klaus will be preoccupied for a while. Seems as though he might already have that Forbes girl's shirt off, we might as well start without him."

"Oh, Kol, must you be so crass?" Freya sighed.

"Oh, Freya, must you be so cruel?" Kol mimicked.

He spoke of more than just her annoyance towards him.

"Caroline is here?" Hayley questioned shrilly, curious and even slightly annoyed.

"Oh, you didn't know? I assumed Elijah would have already told you about our visitor." Kol grinned. Elijah stared daggers at him as Hayley took her hand off of his forearm.

"You didn't think to mention that to me when I got here?"

"I figured we'd discuss it here."  
"Am I missing something? Who's Caroline?" Piped up Vincent.

"I don't really know much either, other than Klaus draws her all the time." Freya added. Hayley scoffed.

"She's some girl from Mystic Falls, Elena's friend."  
"The dӧppleganger?" Questioned Freya.

"Yes," Kol answered, "But if I recall, wolf girl, she was more than just Elena's friend. Who was that child that you were obsessed with? Trent? Tyrone? Help me out here, Elijah."

"Tyler."  
"Ah, yes, I believe she was Tyler's girlfriend. Didn't you have a thing for him, darling? Maybe that's why you despise her."  
"Please, I hate her because she's an entitled, snotty, dramatic little bitch."  
"Honestly, Hayley, I thought you were over this childish grudge." Elijah sighed, shaking his head.

"Why is she here, Elijah?"

"She needs help."  
"Of course she does."  
"We might have bigger problems than a blonde using our resources." Freya spoke louder, quieting the room. The meeting had started, without Klaus. They all looked at her expectantly. "As soon as the plane crossed the border into New Orleans, I received a prophecy. From the ancestors." Kol and Hayley's mouths fell open.

"Theo stopped by and gave me these." Elijah added on to Freya's announcement, pulling out four vials of a watery herbal mixture. "I already took mine, and gave one to Caroline." Everyone then looked at Vincent accusingly. He sighed. Hayley, Kol, and Freya all took a vial, leaving one for Klaus.

"They began waking at midnight last night, it-"  
"Why didn't you tell us immediately?" Kol burst out. Vincent put his hands up.  
"Hey, man, I didn't see the point. They've been communicating with me as much as possible. The bad ones aren't waking yet, there aren't even more than two, and they're unable to so much as move a feather."

"Vincent, we made the terms when you became regent. Terms which you agreed to" Elijah pointed out, rather tiredly.

"And I know them. Even if I hadn't agreed, I would still be regent, and it would have been your mistake to make an enemy rather than an ally. I didn't send a midnight text last night because there is no danger, and I knew we would have a meeting today anyways."  
"We may have to reconsider our terms of agreement, 'Lijah. What do you think?"  
"Perhaps. How did you know, Vincent?"  
"One whispered to me at midnight, then another-"

"No, how did you know we would have a meeting today?"

"Oh, Freya sent me a message last night."  
"Why only him?" Hayley asked, a surprising tone of hurt in her voice.

"I was tired, Hayley. I didn't have the energy for more than one overseas message, and I figured I could trust Vincent to get my message across just fine. Cleary, I figured wrong." She said, looking at Vincent accusingly.  
"I've been busy!" He defended.

"With what, mate? Because it seems to me that you've just been getting kissed up to by your bloody witches."

"Kol-"  
"No, Freya, enough with your bloody excuses for your pet. He has not stuck to the terms,which _you_ came up with, I might add, and that issue has come up at every bloody meeting I've attended. He should tell us these things. We all call a meeting as soon as something worth noting happens, and I don't know about the rest of you, but I would have at least sent a text about our sister returning, and especially on the topic of those wretched ancestors."  
"Kol-"  
"Freya, it's okay. He's right. Except, the thing is, I agreed to those terms two years ago with Klaus at my throat, so excuse me for not seeing it as a proper gentleman's agreement."  
"You still agreed."  
"Enough!" Hayley exclaimed, standing up and slamming her hands on the table. "We need to decide what to do, but we're not doing it without Klaus. So go get him." When Kol didn't move, looking at her defiantly, she pulled out her mom voice. " _Now._ " Kol rose from the table immediately, leaving the room hurriedly. Even he wanted to avoid dealing with an angry Hayley.

 **~PAGE BREAK~**

Caroline awoke, gasping for air, as she sat up swiftly, the cloth covering her falling.. She could immediately feel her chest healing as Klaus looked up, pencil poised over paper, his reddish lips forming a small 'o'. He rose from his chair as she felt a prickling sensation, looking down to see that her chest was exposed.

"Sorry about that, love," Klaus said, rising from his chair and turning his back, walking towards the dresser, "I couldn't get to it otherwise. I'll grab you a shirt." She swung her legs over the side of the bed as she heard a drawer open. Looking around, she noticed her shirt in two by her bra.

"Klaus, I loved this shirt!" She exclaimed. He smirked and tossed the shirt blindly, landing it perfectly next to her. Caroline saw an open sketch pad on the chair next to the bed as she pulled on the shirt drenched in his scent. She leaned over and grabbed it without thinking.

"It's fine. Nothing you haven't seen before anyways." She could practically _hear_ him smirk while she examined the pencil sketch, looking over to see him turned around. "You're good." She let him know he could turn around. The sketch took her breath away. It was of her holding Josie, a scene obviously from earlier in the day. As always, his drawings of her seemed so… so _alive_. He looked down, rubbing the back of his neck nervously when he turned and saw her looking at it. "You did this?"  
"You should know the answer to that by now, love."

"I- it's beautiful. I look like…" she trailed off, and Klaus didn't finish it for her. There were so many things she looked, none of which anyone would ever be able to truly capture. "Can I keep it?" She asked, tearing her eyes off the page to meet his. She almost gasped. He had moved closer. She was sitting on the bed, her head just above his waist, the two only centimeters apart, him looking down and her looking up. His eyes were so beautiful, how could have she forgotten that?

"Of course." He answered, leaning down slightly and taking the sketch pad from her hands gently, tearing out the page. He didn't even need to look away from her ocean eyes as he tore out the page expertly, their eyes remaining locked as he handed it to her. He resisted the urge to reach his hand up to caress her face.

"Do you really think I'll be able to find something that can help?" She whispered, fear in her voice as she searched his blue-green eyes.

 _She's terrified of disappointing them._  
"Maybe." He answered truthfully. "I remember being frustrated when I wasn't able to find much on Rayna, but we found some material. But, Caroline," He said, sitting down next to her as she looked at the floor. "Knowing you, you'll help in whatever way you can."  
"I'm not supposed to." She admitted almost sadly.  
"Not supposed to help?" She turned her head to face him.  
"I came here to go into hiding. That's what was best for the girls. Maybe Ric wanted to protect me too. I don't know. The point is, I came here, I was sent here,"

 _Since when does anyone_ _ **send**_ _Caroline Forbes anywhere?_

"to hide… to cower. Not to take action. I'm not even sure if I know how to do that anymore, it's been so goddamn long." Klaus chuckled.

"Because you've been this," He waved a hand across the air in front of her, "For so long." He didn't say it like a question, he understood completely what she meant.

"I _want_ to help, I just… my life used to _be_ danger. I lived and breathed it. And at first it was a nice break, being away from all the danger. But the thing about breaks is that eventually, you get so bored you're excited to go back. I felt that when the girls started daycare, before I had the internship. And I had a choice: go back, leave them with Ric, without a mother, or stay. It wasn't actually a choice, of course. So I got busy, as busy as I could to distract myself from wanting my old life. And now I can see it, I can _taste_ my old life. And I have to hide from it." He nodded.

 _Deep down, you_ _ **long**_ _to have your perfect feathers ruffled._

"What did I tell you about that perception of time, love?"

 _He reached out a finger and touched a charm on her bracelet. Cheap little thing, Klaus could tell just by looking at it._

" _I love birthdays." He said, a slight smile to his face. Caroline seemed to almost laugh, but it came out more like a cough. Her forehead was covered with droplets of sweat and her eyes were unable to focus. And yet she swallowed, and was able to make a joke, her voice hoarse._

" _Yeah. Aren't you, like, a billion, or something?" She looked up and around with her eyes, searching for an answer in the air, shaking her head._

" _Well you have to adjust your perception of time when you become a vampire, Caroline." Klaus seemed amused by her, and he was surely impressed by her strength._

 _He realized he was glad the sheriff had agreed to his terms, for he would not enjoy it if Caroline were to die, he would perhaps even feel… sad about it. This was a foreign concept to him after so long._

"I went through what you're going through, at first. In a way, at least. When Hayley first showed up here, I was terrified." She smiled at the floor, almost laughing at the image of Klaus Mikaelson discovering that he would be a father. "I wasn't ready, along with the fact that I knew my being Hope's father would ruin her life. I can't walk away from this life, from a thousand years of enemies, and from my family. The danger would've followed me wherever I may have gone, and if I had disappeared my enemies would only target my family. Hayley should have walked away." Caroline shook her head.

 _He really believes that. How could he?_

"You don't wish she had. I see the way your eyes light up when you talk about Hope." She gazed at him, blue eyes demanding, urging him to realize that no one is better off without their family.  
"You're right. I wish that Hayley had never been forced to us, to this life. I wish she had had the chance to stay away from us, for Hope's sake."

"And if she had, and you discovered the truth? That she had kept your child from you?"

"I would've been furious."  
"You would have killed her." He shook his head.  
"I can't even imagine doing that now. She's the mother of my child, she's family." Caroline shook her head.

"You really have changed."

"Don't waste time longing for your old life, Caroline. Start petty drama with the PTA moms. Go to theme parks. Sue a school or two. But wait until your children are gone to return to the danger you once breathed."  
"I know." She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he placed his arm behind her, resting it on the space on the mattress to the right of her. Her hair still smelled like happiness. His chest still smelled like paint. They sat like this for what seemed like mere seconds before a mocking voice sounded in the doorway.

"Well isn't this cozy." Cooed Kol. "I hate to interrupt, but we've been waiting for you for quite sometime, big brother. All hell is starting to break loose." Klaus glowered at Kol as he rose and left the room, shoulder checking the idiot as he did so, leaving just Kol and Caroline, figuring Caroline deserved some time to yell at him. "No hard feelings?" Caroline scoffed, not wasting her time on him, and did the same as Klaus had as she left, although heading in the opposite direction the hybrid had, towards the sound of children.

 **~PAGE BREAK~**

Kol stopped short when he saw Josh come out of the library, looking both ways down the hall for someone. Recognition lit up in the young latino's eyes when they landed on the Original.  
"Hey, Theo told me to drop these off." He dropped two vials into Kol's open hand.

"Thanks."  
"So…"

"Nothing but what we found before."

"It's a terrible idea. She would hate it, Kol. She would never go for it"  
"But she would be alive."

"She wouldn't believe it was worth it."  
"It would be."

"That magic- Kol, it's dangerous, you said so yourself. And what that spell requires-"  
"She would be _alive._ "

"What about Vincent? I don't know a whole lot about witches, but I do know he'll be able to pick up on that spell the second it starts. He won't allow it."  
"So I'll deal with him."  
"You can't _kill_ him, Kol."  
"Why not?"  
"He's practically a part of your family! Freya would probably do some spell that gives you, like, a thousand years of pain."  
"My sister is the one who killed Davina. Perhaps I should take her love." Josh sighed.  
"Davina would never forgive us."  
"I'm willing to take that risk. Aren't you?"  
"Kol, it's been nearly three years now. Maybe it's time to call it quits." Kol chuckled.

 _A year and a half of him attempting to convince me to stop trying, and now that we've figured it out, he doesn't want to go through with it._

"Call it quits, hmm? Are you really willing to let your friend die, to betray her in the way you were betrayed?"

 _He could barely see anything in the dark van._

 _ **Well, at least, I think it's a van. Maybe it's a train car. It feels more like a van though.**_

 _He could feel Tiffany shaking next to him. They had stopped moving and their kidnappers- is that what was happening here? Was he being kidnapped? He guesses so._

 _ **I have to pee.**_

 _Their kidnappers had gotten out of the van 10 minutes ago. It felt like 10 hours. He felt weird. Like everything was itchy. He wanted something, yearned for it, he just didn't know what._

 _ **Red.**_

" _Tiff?"_

" _I'm here."_

" _I would be holding your hand, but we're tied up." He tried to make a joke, it was weak and she didn't laugh. "Do you remember what happened?"  
_ " _We- we went to that party… or maybe… I don't know. I can't remember from midnight to one am. But… Josh,"  
_ " _We were on a roof-"  
_ " _Josh, we fell."  
_ " _No- no, we would be dead."  
_ " _We have to get out of here-" The doors opened and light flooded the van, The lighted burned his eyes, and he felt a desperate need to get away from it. But held his ground, both of their heads snapping to the people waiting on the other side, gasps escaping both of them. It was a light skinned man, arms open wide in a welcoming gesture._

" _Welcome, to the land of the newly dead." He said, voice projected dramatically. Then, normal. "I won't waste your time. I trust you filled 'em in." The man said to the guy in the red Newsies cap. Josh noticed the threatening form of a man behind the welcoming committee, observing the scene with interest._

 _ **Maybe he's buying us. Christian Grey always interested me… but this? This is fucked.**_

 _Josh thought, because what else could be going on?_

" _To be honest, not much in the way of potential here," Newsies spit out, eyeing both of them. The other one popped his head around the side of the door, seemingly amused, and Josh recognized him._

 _ **Wait- he's the hot one who handed us that flyer- he's why we even went to the party in the first place.**_

" _Yeah, well, I just lost six nightwalkers. I got holes to fill."_

 _ **Who are these crazies?**_

" _I'll keep this quick," The leader said, turning back to Josh and his friend. "That itch you feel? That's the need to feed coming on strong; a hunger for human blood. Drink it, you're a vampire, don't, you die, again, this time for good. Right here, right now, in a body bag." The leader motioned to the bottom of the van, where both Josh and Tiffany just seemed to realize the bottom half of their bodies were_ _ **in**_ _body bags. The leader slid back to the threatening man, gripping his shoulder. "Hey, what do you think, cute dorky girl, or gay best friend?" He pointed to the coordinating prisoners as he talked._

 _ **Is it really that obvious?**_

" _Dealer's choice." Smirked the threatening one._

" _Dealers choice, okayy." The leader whisper yelled, dragging out 'okay' and sounding delighted. He held up a coin between his pointer finger and his thumb as he approached the van. "Whoever picks up this coin, gets to live forever." He smiled. Josh's eyes began to water, looking from the coin back to the man's face as he mouthed 'What?' "The other one dies."_

 _ **Sick. Sick and twisted**_ _._ _ **Obviously this motherfucker will be waiting a long, long time. They were all eachother had, they would never choose to live over the other**_ _._

 _The man drank in the fear in their eyes as he placed the coin between them._

" _Go!" He said, backing up. Josh breathed, looking at the coin, then to the leader, who motioned towards the coin, as if to say, "Well, go on, then, don't be scared." Josh looked at Tiffany, who looked at him, eyes full of guilt._

 _ **She's going to do it, what the hell? I've lived with her for four years! I spend holidays with her family, and she's going to- she's going to kill me.**_

 _In that small moment between their eyes meeting, Josh shaking his head and mouth 'No.', and her hand flying out to grab the coin, the red gem on the ring he had given her for her birthday becoming a blur of red. In that moment, Joshua Rosza had a realization._

 _ **We're not all each other have. She's just all I have.**_

 _He heard the leader's exclamation of delight as if he was underwater._

"She's already dead, Kol." Josh said after being quiet for a moment. "And if I remember it right, that wasn't my fault." Kol's eyes darkened as he reached out his hand and grabbed Josh's throat, lifting him off the ground and forcing him to look at Kol. His veins were racing with blood,especially around his eyes, and his face was stuck in a snarl, and pinned Josh to the wall.

"Do you think I don't remind myself of my guilt every. Bloody. Day ?" He pressed harder on every word, Josh struggling. Kol dropped him, breathing for a minute, trying to get himself under control. He could hear Josh coughing.

"What the hell, dude?"  
"I won't kill you. You're one of the only three people she loved. You've been trying to convince me to stop trying for over a year. I'm telling you now, walk away- or help me. But I'm doing the spell, with or without you." Kol began to stalk away, leaving a shocked Josh panting on the ground.

"Kol!" Kol turned. "It'll be with me. I'll- I'll do it." Josh breathed out, unable to believe he was saying it even as he did so.  
"I found witches willing to do it. We still need to find the three." Kol said, before turning to keep walking.

"The third, does it-"  
"I couldn't find a loophole." Josh looked at the rails on the side of the hall, his hands still pressed against the cool brick tile, miniscule grains of dirt digging into his palms, panic written on his face. "I can't- I can't be there for that part."  
"I know." Kol responded, voice full of defeat as he finally walked away.


	11. Author

**Hey guys, not a chapter, sorry. Just wanted to let you guys know what's up. (I don't know how to actually do author's notes on here so sorry about the false alarm for ch. 11)**

 **I started posted on AO3 first, so I'm not really familiar with , let me know if I make any mistakes. I also post updates about fanfiction on my Tumblr and Twitter, which are in my profile.**

 **I also can't believe how many people have already bookmarked this! Thank you guys so much for the support! If you have any thoughts or see any mistakes please let me know!**

 **Chapter eleven is in progress, I hope to have it up by Tuesday!**


	12. This is Progress

After Klaus was finished with his temper tantrum, Freya didn't give Hayley the chance to rush into one of hers, revealing what she had found overseas. Chinese magic, she had told them.

"I had to fight for it. You're welcome."  
 _ **Imperial City, roughly one week ago.**_

 _Standing at the entrance to the city, Freya hoped desperately this was the last place she would need to go. But, then, she had been wishing that in the past three places she had been, hadn't she? She glanced around, pushing, forward, forward, forward._

 _ **One more step, Freya.**_

 _She'd needed to repeat that mantra in her head since she'd left the city that is her hell turned home. Something about this trip irked her incredibly. She chalked it up to not having left New Orleans since 1914.  
In this particular location Freya had a reason to be walking forward as aggressively as she was, other than just wanting to get through this fucking trip.  
She was headed towards the center of Beijing's Imperial City, built within the Yuan dynasty. What she really needed, however, was built in the year 1420 to serve as the imperial palace for the Ming dynasty. The tall witch's jacket was enough for her against the high thirties weather as she made her way from the south gate to the center of the city; The Forbidden City, in all its glory. The few tourist there were, however, were bundled up as if a snow storm were to come. She wondered vaguely why she wasn't colder, having lived in the south for so long, but then her mind was flooded with mirages of a hut in the cold, the wind howling outside, Daliah refusing to start the fire herself, telling Freya that she must learn to use her power if she wants to avoid dying at the hands of the cruel Norway winter. _

_**Forward. Forward. Forward.**_

 _As she reached the wall surrounding The Forbidden City, she came to understand that she may be resisting the cold wind tangling itself within her hair thanks to the magic radiating from the palace. Or maybe it was just the heating system. Freya walks in, the palace's air of ancient magic practically shoving itself down her throat._

 _Red for luck, yellow for the five emperors, dragons for symbols of royalty, and high ceilings for bragging rights are the details one would need to know about the palace._

 _What Freya needs to know, however, is quite different. Every dragon engraved into the walls in that place has some sort of yellow within it. Except one. It's actually not on the wall; it's on the back of the throne. Well, at least that's what she assumed._

 _The last place Freya had stopped, she had been pulling her shirt back on, still breathing heavily, when she was told by Baozhai to search 'where the Yongle had built the greatest empire of all time. You must carve 'past elder's destruction.' In_ _ **Chinese**_ _, American beauty.' The woman remained in the bed, covered in a light sheen of sweat. She mad no move to return to her clothed state. Freya responded with a mischievous 'Bite me,' in fluent Chinese, immediately hearing the witch behind her move to do just that._

 _She didn't know about it being the_ _ **greatest**_ _empire, but, hey, loyalty and all. The woman Freya had spent a passionate night descended from Zhu Di, the emperor who had build the forbidden city, and who also just happened to be a witch, or a_ _巫婆_ _. One of the most powerful of all time._

 _Freya tried not to think of her betrayal to Vincent as she scoped out the throne. There was wire attached to two poles in front of the stairs leading to the golden chair, guarding it through the universal knowledge of 'cross pass the ropes.'_

 _ **So, I can't just walk up to it. Unless, of course, I want the guards on me in two seconds.**_

 _There were five guards in the room, and one of the tourists could possibly be one as well. There weren't enough tourists for a fight to make big news, and she may even be able to change their memory before they left, if she really felt it were necessary._

 _She took a deep breath and raised her hand, one of the guards immediately stepping forward. She grinned, knowing he had sensed the magic stewing beneath her skin._

" _A witch. Finally, a fair fight." She blasted him into the wall before he had even raised his hand "Well, almost."_

The family within the room didn't need to hear about Freya's adventure with royalty, but they did need to hear what she found.

"First off, I was given this." She threw the wooden hilt of some sort of dagger onto the table, remembering the nails of Baozhai digging into her shoulders. Strangely, there was no dagger attached to the hilt, merely a round hole where it looks like something could possibly be attached.

"Enough with the theatrics, Freya. What is it?" Klaus demanded.

"Ever noticed the small round part at the top of the dagger which brought the curse upon Rebekah? This is the hilt of it."  
"Great, so what does it do?" Asked Kol. "What could we possibly do with that, make the weapon easier to use? Perhaps carve _that_ side into a sharp point?" He bit out, oblivious in his rage to the fact that Freya would not have returned without something helpful

"No, darling brother," Kol's fingernails dug into his palms at his sister's audacity to act as though she had done nothing wrong, as though she deserved to call him darling, or _brother_. "A snake's venom will often lead to the cure of its bite, if slightly altered. This," She spun the hilt as if it were a bottle at a house party, "is similar to that. The reason the dagger is detached from the hilt is because it is the a version of the cure." The side with the hole stopped, pointing directly towards the head of the table; towards Klaus. Vincent's eyes lit up.

" If it's Chinese magic, so some sort of Yin and Yang esque idea? The two sides balancing each other out!" The sharp boned man sounded like a second grader excited to have been the first to get the answer right. Freya resisted the urge to roll her eyes.  
"Exactly. We thought it could be Moroccan magic because of the monkeys and rubies, but rubies are commonly mined in Thailand, which is near China.. Not to mention the snub-nosed monkeys in China."  
"Okay, so it's Chinese magic. What do we have to do?"  
"We have to get shavings off the wood and rubies and make it into a paste to put over her wound. Then Spread it with the dagger itself."  
"It's that simple?" Inquired Hayley, doubtful.

"Not exactly. We need two very rare ingredients. Glowing nettle and crypt shrooms. The real kinds, not the kinds from the fake voodoo shops downtown."  
"What about the real voodoo shops?" Elijah finally threw in.

"We need a very specific strand of glowing nettle, last seen in the Carribean."  
"Sounds like someone gets to take a vacation." Kol said, immediately following with a 'dibs' at the same time as five other voices said the same thing.

"I just went to cold ass China for a month for this. I deserve it."  
" _We_ deserve it." Vincent cut in, rather rushed.

"Oh, no." Klaus interjected. He had been standing at the end of the table rather threateningly, all but glowering at Vincent the whole time. "You do not get a vacation. You are on parole." Vincent looked to Freya for defense, and yet she simply ignored the topic, studying the table top fiercely, mouth a thin line. She was unwilling to defend her boyfriend. At this point, he deserved it. Not that _he_ knew that. Klaus took delight in the flash of pain in his eyes.

"Klaus, you sure you don't want to go? You've been kind of… tense lately." Hayley said, concern evident in her voice.

"And miss all the fun?" He asked sarcastically, to which her response was an annoyed look. Elijah put his hand on her thigh under the table, reminding her not to get in an argument right now. "Don't worry about me, little wolf." Klaus assured Hayley. "I'm fine. Just want to get that dagger out of Rebekah. It's not like I'd exactly be relaxing on beaches and whatnot."  
 _Plus stick around while a certain baby vampire is in town._

"I'm not sure I want to go. I just got back. I need a breather. Hayley, Elijah?"

"I'd like to avoid sending both of you." Klaus interjected. "I'll send Kol."

"You will not."  
"Excuse me?"  
"I don't want to go, Nik!" He was already fuming, shooting up from his seat. His chair slid back from the force and stopped just before it hit the wall. Klaus smirked in amusement.  
"Well, too bad. It's for Rebekah."  
"So why don't you go? I don't want to leave New Orleans right now. Not until I've found a way to bring Davina back!" Kol didn't reveal that he already had; they would ask how.

"Kol, you've been looking without stopping for three years." Klaus' hand shot out to stop Hayley from tapping a pencil. "Perhaps this break will give you a new perspective."  
"Klaus, I'm not-"  
"This is final!" Klaus shouted, and everyone in the room knew that if Kol protested again, Klaus would be at a full on roar, and there would be a Kol-sized dent in the wall of their lovely meeting room.

"Fine."

"Crypt shrooms are found in the crypts of northern witches, typically coven leaders, so someone has to go to Canada, or at least the upper peninsula." Hayley and Elijah glanced at each other and Elijah immediately volunteered for the two of them. Klaus' eyes flashed, but he did not protest. He would speak to Elijah about it later."Vincent, of course, can check the voodoo shops, but I doubt he'll find anything." Vincent agreed and Klaus nodded, ready to move on.

"Freya, you said you found something else."  
"Yes." Her muscles strained under her shirt as she lifted something heavy out of her backpack. She set whatever is was down onto the table. It was a sphere shaped stone with red and gold panels within the rock.

"That looks like-"  
"What Davina used to put the ancestors to sleep." Kol finished for Vincent, his eyes swirling with anger as he stared at it.  
"Vincent, once we figured out the original object wasn't as powerful as first believed, I realised it must be nothing but a weak imitation of the original. I found the inspiration for it."  
"It will kill the ancestors? For good?" Kol asked, not showing the panic that was swirling in every inch of his body and not moving his eyes from the weapon.

"Yes." Kaus almost breathed a sigh of relief, but instead paced the wall on his side of the room twice before settling, his hands resting on the back of his chair. He knew Kol would not like this, but he also knew it had to be done.

"So how do we use it?"  
"We'll need all nine covens to do the spell." Freya looked at Vincent and he nodded as a sign that he would be capable of bringing them together. "And an ancestor on the inside." She looked at Kol, who began to vigorously shake his head.

"No. You are not using Davina Claire for one of your bloody spells. A spell that will most definitely destroy what is left her."

"Kol-"  
"Not before I bring her back! We have others on the inside! The ones just waking are on our side!" His raw voice called out desperately, and Elijah felt a pang for his brother as their brown eyes met, Kol's begging Elijah for support.

"She is powerful. Kol-" Vincent started.

"You're all bloody crazy if you think you're using her." He began to storm out of the room, Elijah putting his arm out to stop him.

"Brother-" His voice was, of course, calm and collected, and, of course, held the infuriatingly constant thought that he was better than his younger sibling. Kol pushed Elijah's arm away when Klaus spoke.

"It is not your choice, Kol." He said, amused. "It is hers. Now, I didn't know the child very well, but I think we both know what she will chose. Besides, you knew you were working on a clock." Kol glared at the hybrid before appealing to the people around him.

"Isn't this supposed to be a democracy? Aren't you supposed to vote for what's best?" He whispered. "Some democracy. I thought my voice counted. I should have never had hope for that, not in this family." Kol stalked out of the somber room, digging his phone out of his pocket once he had successfully slammed the door. He dialed swiftly, relieved to receive an answer before the final ring.

"How soon can you and your colleagues get here? I need the spell done right away."

 **~PAGE BREAK~**

Caroline told herself to return Klaus' shirt to him, yet she still set gingerly in in her top drawer when she went to her room to change.

If anyone asked, she had not pressed the soft material it against her face and breathed in Klaus' scent. No way in hell would she ever do that.

After she had dressed and splashed cold water on her face, she walked further down the third floor's hall, to what was presumably the girls room.

"Mommy!" Elizabeth shouted gleefully, flying off the bed she was jumping on and into Carolines arms, resulting in her laugh to ring through the air. Josie ran up to her from somewhere else, as well.

"Hi, girls! Do you like the room?"  
"Yeah! Uncle Elijah said he would make sure we got some stuffed animals for us, cause we left Mr. Cuddles at home by accident!"  
"Well that's nice of him. Did you say thank you?"  
"Yes, they did." Said a voice from the other side of the room. "You must be Caroline."  
"Hope." Caroline said in response, taking in the copy carbon of Klaus, breath caught in her throat.

The girl had a petite nose and sharp jawline like Hayley. She had full lips and eyebrows just as Klaus did, Her high cheekbones resembles both sides, and her hair was all Hayley. It was long and a dark, dark brown that shone under any sort of light.

It was real. Klaus Mikaelson, the father. Hayley Marshall, his partner in this.

The girl spoke, seemingly to break the silence. Her voice had a hint of a British accent in it, and she spoke formally

"Uncle 'Lijah says you're Daddy's friend." She said, looking around the room with a sort of sourness on her face as she strolled closer, approaching the kneeling woman and her kids.

"Yeah, I am. I might be staying here for a while. Are you okay with that?  
"I suppose." She answered, eyeing the girls resentfully. "Emeline says I have to go to the park with them, until dinner." Caroline wasn't quite sure what to say, as the girl seemed reluctant. The twins were seemingly bored with the conversation and abandoned it, walking over to the far side of the room and crawled onto the rug, beginning to color in the books they had left behind.

"Do you _want_ to go to the park?"  
"Yes. Emmy takes me a lot. I have fun. But with _them_?" She looks over her shoulder at the girls and Caroline smiles.  
"Well, what's wrong with them?"  
"They are too young." Caroline smiled kindly, squatting down to speak with the girl.

"Exactly." She whispered as though she were divulging a dire secret. "Which means you get to boss them around." The girl seemed almost excited about this revelation for a short moment, her eyes widening and a smirk echoing her father's appearing on her face. Caroline breathed in quickly. Hope's face fell once more.

"Uncle 'Lijah likes them more." She confessed, causing Caroline to laugh.

"That is so not true. Don't look at them as enemies, Hope, look at them as allies." Hope understood the words that Caroline spoke, as the stranger knew she would. She was Klaus' father, after all. He'd probably already told her about dozens of wars he'd experienced. Hope still seemed confused, however, as to how these little kids could possibly be allies.

"Hope, I'm going to tell you a story, is that okay?" Hope nodded, looking to the blonde woman curiously. "Once upon a time there was a princess. Now, this wasn't just any princess. This princess had _seven_ sisters. And sometimes the sisters would fight, but if the princess ever needed help, her sisters would always be there, because they loved each other. So, maybe you should try to be like the princess, and make friends with other people, so that if you ever need help, they'll be there." Hope nodded, eyes wide as if she had just realized something incredible.

"Are they my sisters?" Caroline laughed it off, but it didn't stop the images of a family with Klaus shoving their way into her mind, or the flutter in her stomach.

"No, no. They can be your friends though, I promise." Hope nodded just as Emeline walked into the room, changed into a pair of denim shirts and a simple tshirt, and Caroline felt Hope walk by her and towards the girls as she rose, smiling at Emeline.

"I think I'm going to stay behind, if you don't mind. I want to get settled in, maybe figure out what I'm doing."  
"I don't mind at all! You do what you need to, Caroline."

"Thank you so much for this."  
"Of course. It's my job." Emeline looked around then whispered. "Besides, your kids are way less spoiled than Hope." There was a joking tone to her voice, but Caroline could tell there was some truth to the statement. She chuckled.

"So, you're a maid _and_ a nanny?"  
"Oh, no. Miss Marshall hates the n-word. It makes her feel like a bad mother."  
"She really lets you call her Miss Marshall? She'd never seemed so… formal."  
"I think she's adapted to life with the Mikaelsons quite well." Caroline nodded, a twinge of jealousy flashing through her.

 _Life with the Mikaelsons._

"I'll help you get them in the car. Are you sure all three of them aren't too much to handle?"  
"Of course, no worries." Caroline got the feeling that anyone who could deal with working for the Mikaelsons could deal with anything.

After Caroline had waved the car off, she stood in the foyer and stuck her hands in her pockets, deciding what to do next.

She should look in the library. She really should, but she couldn't make her feet move when they thought they would be taking her to no doubt endless research. Besides, last time she had actually tried to get any form of work done, Kol had stabbed her with a pencil. His work was all out on the tables, anyways, and she would have to move it, undoubtedly bringing accusations of messing up his system upon herself.

She could take a nap. God knows she needs one; or at least should need one. Yet, she was somehow not tired, not in the least.

 _I guess… I could go find Klaus. Purely out of boredom; nothing else._

She couldn't hear him from where she stood, nor from the main room and wondered if perhaps he was still in that mysterious meeting. She climbed to the second level, ready to hit the books. She still strained her ears, however, holding out the hope that she wouldn't have to start just yet. She pushed away a twinge of guilt that she wasn't putting all her effort into helping. At last she heard the almost inaudible sweep of paint brush over canvas. Caroline followed it. When she leaned against the doorway of what she thought was his art room, he didn't turn, completely enthralled with his painting. She swallowed, immediately noticing his shirt was off, the triangle tattoo on hi shoulder drawing her attention, as well as the scars running their course over his back, the product of what she could only assume was his father. His arm muscles flexing as he made a particularly spastic movement distracted her from the anger coursing through her veins, and then his shoulder blades pulled her. Oh god, the shoulder blades. They flexed with every movement he makes, and Caroline was mesmerized by them.

"Careful, love," His voice pulled her out of her mind, an instant feeling of embarrassment overwhelming her, knowing immediately she was caught, even with his back to her. "Wouldn't want to be caught staring." He turned, paintbrush still raised, smirking.

 _Bastard, knew I was here the whole time._

As he turned to put his paintbrush down, she noticed markings under his arm, on his side. They hadn't been there before, and for some reason she felt hurt. It went as far as to where his wrist would fall. It reminded her of the writings that had been found on the cave walls back in Mystic Falls.

"I wasn't staring."  
"Gawking, eyeing, admiring, drooling, whatever you may call it." He turned and put some gold paint over the blue, feigning indifference. The painting he was slaving over was a dark, dark, blue, and it was about layered with what seemed to be claw marks carved into it before it had dried. The gold went over it, some if it not very noticeable if you didn't look closely, reaching into the far back corners of the dark. He had obviously put a lot of work into it. She rolled her eyes and went over to the love seat in the room, flopping down in a very childlike manner. He smirked and ignored her, continuing to paint.

"What is it supposed to be? A color scheme for a fancy naval party?"  
"Is my work really that literal?"

 _She knew she wouldn't need to wait long. She heard him before she saw him, continuing to stare at the painting before acting as though she need to look out of the corner of her eye to see him. She turned fully to him. He was swaying slightly, maybe to the music, and smiling at her. He seemed oddly cheerful._

" _Here to steal Tiny Tim's crutches?" Caroline asked, obviously pleased with herself, after they had looked at each other for what was probably too long._

 _At least for her it was, because, damn, did he look good. And_ _ **damn**_ _did it make her feel some time of way._

" _Dickens was a dark man." He said, walking around the art piece on display, towards her. "You would have liked him."_

 _ **Name dropping, how classy.**_

 _As he approached her she took his previous spot, and the two were once again separated by the piece of pottery on display between them._

 _He loved it, her moving away in a circle like that. Because when two creatures are running in a circle, who is hunted, and who is hunting?_

 _From the outside it may seem one is the predator and one is the prey. But, god, did he feel hunted._

 _He thinks it must both as the same time._

 _He was scared, of course. Terrified. He hadn't wanted to tell someone every little detail of every day, to hold someone every night, to make someone laugh, and to make someone happy, since… well, ever._

 _ **That is love, is it not?**_ _  
He wasn't sure anymore, to be quite honest._

 _This woman was making him question everything._

 _ **Is that love?**_

" _Nice snowflake, by the way." She said, eyeing at the painting._

" _Is my work really that literal?" Klaus asked, seeming almost disappointed at the thought. He still tried to turn it into a bit of a joke, though. She immediately changed course, hearing Damon's voice in her head._

 _ **Play him like a fiddle, blondie.**_

 _She knew what Klaus Mikaelson wanted. He_ _ **wanted**_ _to be dark, to be deep. He wanted for her to understand his work. So she looked a little closer for a moment. It was a snowflake, but it was swirling in darkness. There weren't any others around it._

" _I'm serious. There's something… lonely about it." She put a little more emotion in her voice. His cheery mood seemed to dissolve and for a moment she was worried she had messed up. Instead, gaze steely, he spoke._

" _I'm gonna take that as a compliment."_

She almost laughed.

"It's a series I've been working on for quite some time, love."  
"And what's it called?"

"Vitae." He said, the foreign words flowing off his tongue beautifully. She laid down, feet up on the arm of the seat closest to him, observing the hybrid in his element. He was so relaxed here, in a room full of nothing but art.

Definitely not his shirtless form.

"Life." She said curiously, to which he responded by looking at her sharply. He loved to see her lying there, on his couch reserved for him and the occasional model. He loved her watching him paint casually, as if it were something the pair did every day. He loved to see her add to the art this room held.

"You know Latin."  
"Some. I picked up a little back at Whitmore." She told him, shrugging as if it were no big deal. He shook his head and smiled, returning to his painting.

"You, Caroline Forbes, are something else." They were quiet for a moment, and Caroline got lost in the way Klaus got lost in his art.

They couldn't be together, she knows this. And she doesn't know if she wants to be, but he seems so much happier now, so much better. It pains her to think he fixed himself without her. He'd done so much in the way of moving on and improving himself; taken over a city, raised a child, gotten tattoos. All without her.

 _Is that selfish? That you actually expected him to put himself on hold while he waited for you?  
Yes. And it's stupid._

She's not too upset about it, in the long run. Even with all the bad he's done in this world, he deserves this. A happy life.  
She had stopped thinking that his happy life would come when she finally decided to let herself be with him a long time ago.

 _So why does it hurt so much?_

She thought about how much she doesn't know about him, and how he had found out everything he could about her. How he'd always cared so much, since the start. So she asked something about him, something about his life.

"How was the meeting?" Klaus continued to paint, but she could hear the grin in his voice.

"Fantastic. We're getting Rebekah back."  
"Congratulations, Klaus. I'm happy for you." She said, sincerely.

"Thank you, love." They remained in a comfortable silence, until Caroline remembered something from earlier. She asked the question without even thinking.

"Who's Marcel?" Klaus' movement halted, and he set the paintbrush onto the wooden table to the left of his easel, turning to face her.

"Where did you hear that name?"  
"Emeline."

"Under what context could he possibly have come up?" He asked, clearly annoyed that the help was already spilling secrets to anyone who shot her a smile.

"Calm down, I asked why the wallpaper was in bad shape." She jumped to the woman's defense. "I knew you wouldn't have let that happen. You're too proud." Klaus sighed, walking over to where she layed. He picked up her denim clad calves with paint caked hands. She didn't care about the flecks of gold and blue he left behind. She sat up so he could sit, and when he did he layed her feet in his lap. He leaned back and closed his eyes, and seemed to be almost sleeping for a few brief moments. She tried not to think about how close she was, how she could smell his intoxicating scent from where she was, or about how intimate this position was.

Klaus reveled in it.

"He is my son." Caroline sat up in surprise, pulling her feet off his lap and closer to herself in the process, he yearned to reach after her, make her so she was touching him in some way again.

"Your _son_?"  
"Not biological, love. He was the son of a governor in the 1900s who treated the women he thought he owned as harlots, only they didn't want any of it. Marcel, he would not give up, no matter how hard he was struck. He was simply a _child_ , and yet he was so strong. He didn't even have a name, but somehow had a clear idea of who he was. So I gave it to him; Marcellus. It means 'Little Warrior.'" She sat there, mouth open slightly, shocked. She thought he had been a monster throughout his life, and yet here this was. "He left recently, after someone he loved died. Kol's girl, actually. There is no trace; he doesn't wish to be found." Klaus' eyes were full of pain and she longed to reach out and comfort him. "He blames me."

"They said you were cruel."  
"I was." She shook her head.

"No. Not in the way they thought you were." He didn't ask what she meant, didn't want to hear her tell him that he was truly a good person when he knew she was wrong. Most of all, he didn't want to tell her she was wrong.

 _She sees the good in people, let her keep that._

Klaus got up and began cleaning his paintbrushes in the sink across the room, on the far wall.

"Is it done?" She asked, rising to look at the painting, wondering what it would feel like to run her finger across.

"Not quite. It needs something, I just don't know what yet." Caroline nodded. She tried to decipher it's no doubt complex meaning.

"Is it supposed to be _your_ life?"  
"In a way. It's what I think life is." She noticed how the gold seemed to burst through the dark, dark blue, reaching into its farthest corners, lighting up the canvas. She heard him open a drawer and close it, turning and leaning against the sink, observing her. She ran her finger along the part of the easel that holds up the painting.

"Aren't you going to wash your hands?" She asked, choosing to look at the flecks of paint on his fingers rather than at him.  
"I like the paint on them."

Caroline liked it too, if she was being honest. She looked at him finally.

"I thought you were going to the park." He stated, smirking.

"I decided not to, is that okay?" Her voice rising in defense of herself. He set the brushes to dry, and turned to her, leaning against the counter.  
"You wanting to talk to me is always okay, love." He responded, the smirk seemingly plastered to his face.

"I didn't stay because I wanted to talk to you, I stayed because I wanted to unpack!" Her voice somehow became even shriller as she lied to his face, and he stifled a laugh.

"I'm sure." She started to protest, but he interrupted her. "Dinner is soon, love." Caroline raised her eyebrows, to which he responded, almost offendedly, "What?"

"You guys just eat late." He smiled.

"It's only seven. Besides, everything is done late in New Orleans, love. Except drinking." She laughed at that, and even though they both knew it wasn't that funny, it broke the tension.

"I can't thank you enough for this, you know."

"Yes, Caroline, you can. And you already have." He seemed almost annoyed. She just smiled, a beautiful sight.

"It almost feels like I don't know you anymore, you're so different."

"You'll always know me, Caroline." He said, shaking his head at the ridiculousness of her insinuation. He pushed himself off the counter and walked closer, brushing past her and leaning against the table with the supplies he had just been using laid out. She tried not to let the brief moment of his shirtless form so close to her distract her. She followed, leaning against the table with closed tubes of paint spread across it., eye contact unbreaking. He wanted to move forward, to grab her face with both hands, smear the paint on his hands against her porcelain skin, wanted her to become the canvas he often imagined her becoming, just for him. He wants to see the desire light in her eyes has it had all those years ago before he had kissed her roughly.

She gulped, seeing the lust clear in his eyes as they bore into hers. She knew the heat pooling in the pit of her stomach wasn't a good sign of her resisting him for however long she was to be here. She wasn't sure she minded.

 _Of course you mind. You are_ _ **not**_ _doing this again, Caroline. Not now, not ever._

She couldn't tear her eyes away.

 _Fuck this. I am Niklaus Mikaelson, bastard son of the most powerful witch of her time, and I do what I want. Why have you even held out this long? Worried you'll scare her off? Please, she needs you._

 _Just see if she still wants you._

Klaus suddenly moved forward, hands coming to her face and paint smearing across her cheeks beautifully and her lips parted, and he saw the longing swirling in her eyes, begging to be acknowledged. "Just as I will always know you." He whispered.

"Klaus, we can't-"

"Tell me you don't want this." He demanded. His eyes forced their way into meeting hers. His hands begged her to lie so he could stop thinking like this; stop thinking that she wants him just as much as he wants her. Yet, she could not.

"I- I can't." He nodded, and he almost let go, and one hand was left on her cheek, the dried paint on his hands scratching her skin subtly. He started to turn away, and she doesn't know what happened, she really doesn't, but then she was pulling him back to face her, and kissing him fiercely, desperately, hands pressing against his scruff. She stood on her tiptoes, pushing him against the table behind him, hearing a thud. Neither of them not cared. His hands flew backwards and fell into the pallets full of wet paint, returning to her face swiftly, smearing the paint as he moved his thumbs back and forth, their mouths pushing against each tested her limits, poking her tongue into his mouth as she felt the drag of his calloused hands acting as a brush make their way down to her neck. She spread her palms across his toned chest, and her heightened senses picked up the slight change in texture where his tattoo started, and grinned when she felt him growl. She tilted her head back and pushed a moan into his throat as his tongue found its way into her mouth. She swallowed his return sounds. She moved her hands around to his back, hearing him growl once more, running her fingers over the scars left behind by his past. She felt his arousal pressing against her leg and her hands came back around, lower this time, starting to tug at his pants. He pushed off her, panting. She leaned back forward, but he held her back, and she stopped, confused, hands coming back up to rest on his shoulders as he bent their foreheads together.

"As much as I hate to say this, we should probably stop." She closed her eyes, blocking the view of his swollen lips and perfect physique, sighing. He smirked, eyes roaming over her face, marked by his hands.

"Why?" She almost whined, and he chuckled, hands around her waist

"Dinner's soon, love. Wouldn't want to keep anyone waiting. Besides," He paused, lifting his head and reaching up and picking one of her hands off his shoulder, bringing it between the panting bodies and letting it go. She stopped it in the air between them, looking down. A sense of guilt overwhelmed her, knowing what Klaus would say next. "You're spoken for, remember?"

" _You're beautiful, you're-you're strong, you're full of light. I enjoy you."_

" _Well, I'm spoken for. By Tyler."_

" _I thought you two called things off?"_

"By Alaric." She said, almost defeatedly.

"I don't believe you two have called things off." He pushed her away gently and left the room. He tried not to let the reminder of an unworthy man, let alone any man, keeping Caroline from him, ruin the remaining high that Klaus always gets from the magnificent Caroline Forbes.

 **~PAGE BREAK~**

He took off his paint splattered jeans, his cock springing free, reaching his hand inside the luxurious tile shower. It had been the first thing he had installed when he got his family home back. He turned the water as cold as it could go, climbing inside, feet flat against the cool tile. He stood under the powerful stream as it pounded against his chest, hand wrapping around himself and slowly pumping. A vivid picture of every inch of porcelain skin covered in paint- paint he had applied with his fingers. That's all he saw; at first. She'd eventually wanted his hands, _begged_ for his hands, and then her hands were in his hair and he was on his knees, lapping at her release. She was gasping, and he was close, so close, and then the cool press of her engagement ring dragged a crossed his scalp-

Klaus' hand fell from his quickly dying arousal. He growled, hand fisting and smashing against the tile wall, leaving a thin, angry crack behind.

The thought of his Caroline engaged to another man, especially a man as ordinary as Alaric Saltzman, drove him absolutely insane.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to be his, at least in the end.

But there was no end, he knows. At least not a foreseeable one; not for them. Through time, things change. Always.

After he returned to New Orleans he realized that when she eventually turned up at his door - however long it takes - and _somehow_ managed to fall in love with him, she would also eventually leave him.  
Another thing he knows: humans cannot be involved in supernatural business without becoming supernatural themselves. Only fools think they will be able to escape.

Part of him thinks Camille knew that.

So, Caroline marries the human, and then what? Klaus is well aware that it's not rational for him to be jealous. He knows that he holds no claim over Caroline. He also knows he is infinitely superior to Alaric Saltzman. Yet, here he is. Jealous.

Eventually Alaric will die or be turned. The two of them must know the marriage can't last forever, but when if Alaric becomes a vampire, Klaus will have to wait so much longer for her to come to him.

Perhaps he could do that. Perhaps he could wait for her. He could, if she weren't here and if he wasn't still as in love with her has he had been five years ago. If she hadn't just thrown herself on him, and if he hadn't dared her to do so.

Everywhere her hands had moved during the otherwise glorious kiss, her gold band dragged across his skin, and he had been unable to hold back his growls of frustration, which only seemed to spur her on more, making it nearly impossible for him to stop.

It just wasn't supposed to be this way.

He shut off the water, hopping out and drying himself. The uncivilized but somewhat ceremonious call of Hayley shouting for the family to come together for dinner rang through the house and Klaus sighed, dressing himself quickly.

Time to face the music.


	13. The Night and Its People

**I do not own or claim to own The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, or any of their characters.**

Happy wasn't a word Caroline had ever associated with the Mikaelsons, what, with the daggers and grand murder plots. But there was no denying what was right in front of her eyes. The room was filled with bright conversations and laughter, the table with delicious food. At one corner of the table Josie, Lizzy, and Hope were all giggling. Elijah was across from them and Hayley was at one head of the table, next to him. Caroline was listening intently as the newest Mikaelson, Freya, spoke about her trip. Caroline raised her wine glass to her lips and made the mistake of looking towards the head of the table, opposite to Hayley. Klaus sat there, leaning back leisurely and observing the scene with pride in his eyes.

 _I made this._

It's what he tells himself every day. Sometimes it's enough for him to forget his guilt, if only for a moment.

Caroline couldn't help but think Hayley and Klaus looked like a king and queen, his with his natural aura of power, and her with her level headed opinions, just to keep him and check.

She also couldn't help the pang of jealousy that ran through her at the thought.

God, she hated that.

When her eyes meet Klaus' he his looking at her like he had at Saint James'; like he knew every piece of her. Like _wanted_ every piece of her.

For the billionth time that night she curses herself for kissing him.

But it had felt _really_ good to kiss him.

He winks at her and she wants to scream because she's already been so stupid and she does _not_ need this.

She knows a blush accompanied her scowl and his smirk turned into a half smile.

"Caroline?"  
"Hmm?"

"Jeez, I said your name like thirty times."  
"Sorry, Hayley. Were you asking me something?"

"What exactly _is_ the situation you're in?"  
"Caroline is under no requirement to disclose anything to anyone, and I will insist you not pressure her to do so." The tone of warning in Klaus' words made Hayley roll her eyes, but Caroline felt gratitude swell inside her.

"No it's fine. Um… So basically a huntress is after Stefan." She hears Elijah inhale sharply. "So we're all trying to figure out how to stop her, how to save him."  
"Huh. Tell me why you can't just kill her?" Hayley's bored tone frustrated Caroline, but she answered anyways.

"She's… powerful. Dangerous, and keeps coming back."  
"Well, you've dealt with that before, don't see why you had to come here to, ah, 'research'."  
 _Me neither,_ she wanted to say.

"We can't really find anything on how to kill her. I mean, Damon and Alaric are doing everything they can to basically distract her, but as long as Stefan has this… psychic link to her, he's a goner."  
"And is he who put that ring on your finger?" Elijah struggled not to laugh at her antics; provoking Klaus had become one of their favorite games. "I mean, it was so painfully obvious you had a thing for him. Finally seal the deal?"

 _God, her and Klaus are weirdly alike,_ She thinks.

"No. That was Alaric, actually."  
"Oooo, the history teacher. Scandalous! And two _children_ , even more scandalous. I mean, I can only imagine what the one pony town has to say about you."  
 _Such a shame, she almost had potential._

 _She should have stayed with the Lockwood boy, would've been better off._

 _I wonder if those babies are really his._

 _Once a slut, always a slut._

 _Can you believe that hottie of a boyfriend stayed with her? I mean, after she fucked her professor?  
Apparently he taught at her high school, too._

 _Bet she's a straight A student._

Caroline took in a deep breath, refraining from diving across the table to attack Hayley in front of both of their daughters.

"Well, it's not exactly like I could stick up for myself with the truth, right?"

"Hmm. How exactly _did_ this happen?" Hayley gestured vaguely at the children and Caroline takes in a large gulp of wine before answering

"I suppose I could ask you the same thing."

"Enough, Hayley." Klaus all but growls. Freya swallows a bite just as she notices the girls watching intently.  
"You know, this chicken is wonderful, Nik. You'll have to tell Xavier to make it again." Freya cuts in, causing staggered conversation to fill the room. Caroline tries not to look at Hayley.

 **~PAGE BREAK~**

Dinner passed uneventfully after the minor pissing match between Hayley and Caroline. She had put the girls to bed an hour and a half before Hope, just so that she wouldn't run into Klaus.

It was midnight, although Kol still hadn't returned. Caroline had been working for two hours and still came up with nothing. She groaned and ran her hands through her hair, propping her elbows on the table. She rarely felt tired, having been doing nothing tiring for so many years, so she didn't even have an excuse to stop. Damon had texted her half an hour ago asking if she had anything for them yet. She responded to stop pretending like she wasn't here just to hide, and that Klaus had a _baby_. He called to gossip.

" _Wait, so did he adopt? What is he, a saint now? Damn, Barbie, you really got to him."  
_ " _It's Hayley's."  
_ " _Who?"  
_ " _You know, brunette. Tyler Lockwood."  
_ " _Oh oh oh yeah, yeah. Shit, so they fucked?"  
_ " _Yep."  
_ " _Ha! Guess she's after all your men. Ric better watch out."  
_ " _Klaus is not my man!"_

" _So, is daddy still panting after you?"_

" _Ew." She crinkles her nose and sticks out her tongue, ignoring how she could imagine herself calling him that. "Never call him that again."_

" _Right, that's your job."_

" _Damon!"_

" _I don't hear a 'no'."  
_ " _Of course he is, Damon! You knew he would when you sent me here!"  
_ " _Hey, you're about to marry Ric. As his friend, I gotta test your loyalty. Plus, isn't our mass murdering hybrid friend supposed to be all-knowing?"_

" _Ric doesn't even like you right now."_

" _It's just for show. Hey, just like how Klaus is obsessed with you and you pretend to hate him!"  
_ " _Goodbye, Damon."_

" _Hey, blondie,"  
_ " _What?" She huffed._

" _See if you can get a picture of Rebekah fresh from curse induced slumber."  
_ " _Goodbye, Damon."_

"I miss you, 'Lena."  
She whispers it into the night, just like she does every time she misses the way things used to be. Sometimes she swears she can feel her friend hugging her.

"Tell me, love, why would you ever miss _her_?" She looks up, her head between her hands and eyes wide. Klaus leans in the doorway across from her. It almost makes her laugh, the thought of him in something as simple as flannel pajama pants and a t shirt, his hair flat from sleep.

She pushes the thought that's kind of cute away.

"I'm sorry!" She whispers, "Did I wake you? I tried to be quiet."  
"I wasn't sleeping anyways." He says offhandedly, but Caroline makes mental note of the comment. "How is the ever infuriating Damon?" He imitates her whisper, smirking. She knows the answer to her question before she asks it.

"Did you eavesdrop?" Caroline sounds like a teacher scolding a paste-eater. He grins, leaving her smiling against her own will. He falls into the plush chair in front of the desk where Caroline sits.  
"A little." He replies cheekily, pushing the stack of books off the desk so they crash to the ground, disturbing the near silent night. He sets his bare feet where they had once resided.

"Klaus! You'll wake the others." He closes his eyes and leans his head back, ignoring her scolding. His fingers intertwine beautifully on his chest.

Caroline has a sudden, much too real, memory of them curling inside of her.

She feebly attempts to steady her breathing

"Hayley's been a heavy sleeper ever since she had Hope. Freya snuck out ten minutes ago to hit a bar that offers ladies, Kol stomped out hours ago after a tantrum, and Elijah woke three seconds ago, heard it was just you and I, and went back to sleep."

"Freya _what_?" Caroline's eyes light up, and he finds the constant urge to kiss her more demanding.

 _I love scandalous sex! This is great._  
"Oh, yes. She's been cheating on Vincent for quite sometime now. Sort of. She just flirts, rarely even makes it to a coat closet without crying. It was a different world, the one she was raised in. She's still afraid to admit her preferences to anyone, even herself."  
"And you know all this because…"  
"I had her tailed months ago. She was acting jumpy." Caroline rolls her eyes and scoffs.

 _Forever paranoid._  
"Who's Vincent?"  
"Regent of the witches, Freya's dedicated boyfriend, certainly not loyal to my family, and I suspect not to Freya, either."  
"Why don't you just approach her about all of this?"  
"I've found matters such as this best left alone. I have, however, subtly made it clear I am in no way opposed to her nighttime routine. She's dealing with mostly internal stuff. I could care less about him."

"You've dealt with this before?"  
"Love, I'm, like, a billion." She laughs at his crude imitation of her.

"Tell me some people who I wouldn't know about being gay. Or gayish." He chuckled.  
"Hmm… during the American revolution there was Hamilton and Laurens, but I suppose you'd rather hear about something more romanticized, no?"

"Hit me."

"Okay, how about Queen Victoria?"

"No way! _Elijah?_ " Her eyes light up with excitement and he can hear it in her voice.  
"Oh, yes way. Rebekah fancied her for a bit, but got over it swiftly. She was a fine queen, indeed." Caroline smiles lazily as she drags her pen across the paper in front of her, doodling flowers and stars.  
"Tell me something else I wouldn't know." He thinks for a moment, then grins.

"Elijah has fucked every queen and one king of England." Caroline gasps.

"No way!"

"Okay, from one thousand forty on. He would make trips just for the coronation of a new queen." Caroline is bent over with laughter, and she hears Klaus' soft melodic chuckle join with her own laughter. She stops suddenly, noticing how pretty he is like this. He keeps going a few seconds before he realizes she has stopped. He quickly closes his mouth and clears his throat. They lock eyes, comedy still in the air, begging them to find something to laugh at once more. In the end comedy is swallowed up by electricity; it crackles through the air, leaving it heavy around them, almost impossible to breath in. It is a few minutes before they speak, eyes locked, smiles tugging at the corners of their mouths.

Caroline realizes she has butterflies.

Klaus realizes his haven't stopped since she arrived.

"I can't wait to know things like that, to have known great people." She finally says, looking down at the desk. Klaus smiles at this, knowing she'll have it all, whatever she wants, one day.

 _With or without me. But I do hope it's with me._

"You know, the first time I realized how great vampirism could be was when my siblings and I killed some travelers… their servant survived and recently resurfaced. He became an enemy, but before all of that he offered his services to my family. He taught us how to integrate into the court where the siblings we had fed on were heading for a long visit, and it was amazing. We were living at the height of luxury, which was just… we loved it, despite the recent trauma. I mean, we had always been mere villagers, then suddenly we were royalty. That's when we realized vampirism could offer us a great life, no, _lives_ , fit for legends. But, Caroline Forbes, out of all the lives I have ever lived, the greatest by far has been the one with you in it." She gasps quietly and looks up from her paper, where she had a total of two notes, all with question marks and a suspicious amount of little hearts, seeing he had opened his eyes and is gazing at her desperately, as though to memorize this moment, as though she could disappear at any second. His eyes were bright against the dark room, almost glowing. She finds herself wishing the lamp next to her was off so she could really see them without the glare.

She thinks she feels her heart break a little bit because when everything is so wrong it's what other people think is right and when everything is right it's what they'll tell her is wrong. Except his face is so _beautiful_ , god, she had forgotten how beautiful he is. She had missed him so much and she hadn't realized how much until he was standing in front of her.

"Don't.. Don't do that, please." She begs, leaving him aching because _how_ can she not believe him? How can she not realize? He opens his mouth, but she cuts him off forcefully. "No! God, Klaus. You can't just sit there and feed me ridiculously romantic lies and then tell me to stop kissing you! I've been here, like, not even twenty-four hours and I'm already drowning in you, and you're not exactly helping!" He stands up suddenly, and she follows suit, the chair scraping the floor sharply as it pushes against the back of her legs. He strides forward and around the table to stand in front of her, cupping her cheek. It is too swift for her to move away, too sudden for her to stop.

Would she even stop him, if she could?  
Part of her wants to run.

All of her wants to be closer.

 _Seriously?! How is that possible?_

He cocks his head gently to the right as he studies her.

"Caroline, do not believe for a second that I have ever lied about how I feel about you. Do not believe for a second that you are anything less than worthy. What have they done to you? When I left, you understood. You knew what you were worth, Caroline, what happened? Make me understand."

"You left! You left, and no one was there to remind me of it all!" He's panting and looking bewildered, eyes widened and filled with hurt and confusion.  
"You asked me to do that, Caroli-"  
"Stop it! Stop saying my name because it makes me feel all fuzzy and stop saying stuff like that because I'll-"  
"You'll what? Realize your worth? Realize you don't need people there to validate you?"  
"I know my worth!"  
"Then why are you wearing a small diamond and being a PTA mom and marrying _Alaric Saltzman_ -"  
"Stop! God, I knew that shoulder I cried on was too good to be true! Don't say his name like it's poison!" She's smacking his chest like a child and he grabs her wrists gently, forming rings around them with his long fingers. When he speaks she wants to cry at how sad he sounds.  
"Love… please. Don't do this." She looks up at him, attempting to pull her wrists away, and he _loves_ her eyes when she's angry. The raw intensity of the emotions on display almost makes up for the anger being directed towards him."Just-"  
"No! You don't seem to understand! You talk, and I do things that I would _never_ do! You talk, and I dance, you talk and I start to like you, you talk and I _fuck_ you, you talk; I get stupid!" He releases her wrists and steps back, eyes devoid of emotion. She doesn't realize her hands reach out to him. She feels a sob bubbling in her throat, feels tears sting her eyes. She curses them both as she shoves them away.

He's never stepped away from her before.

"Klaus, I didn't mean-"  
"Don't worry about it. I get it. Everything between us was stupid." He turns to leave her, to leave her again, and she feels her chest constrict with panic. She reaches out and tightens her hand around his upper arm.

"Don't go."

"How I longed to hear those words all those years ago, my darling Caroline." He whispers. Her fingers loosen helplessly.

"I'm sorry." There are tears burning her eyes and she is not sure where they come from. He turns his cheek towards her, clenching his jaw. "That I couldn't say them then." He blows out a shaky breath.

"If it was now? If we were standing by that tree and you were buttoning up my shirt, and the only difference was the date, would you ask me to stay?" She closes her eyes before she answers, like she doesn't want to see his reaction.

"No." Her response is full of nothing but heartbreak, and he wants to comfort her and scream at her in the same breath. He tears his arm away from her loose grip. She wants to explain herself, to say anything to make him understand, but she can't. _She_ doesn't even understand. Why couldn't she give in? Because Damon Salvatore would look at her funny? Because Bonnie Bennett would talk shit? Because he's not a kids guy and she has two? Except, no, he clearly _is_ a kids guy.  
It all hits her at once.

Because she is going to marry Alaric Saltzman.

 _Oh yeah,_ she thinks, _**that.**_

"It hurts to think about you, do you know that?" His back is to her; he feels her eyes on it. "My chest aches when I think about you with those people in that town, where you aren't appreciated. My whole being screams thinking that you don't realize that I was made for you, even if it was a thousand years before you were even a thought." Her eyes flutter rapidly, beating the sting of tears away. One escapes, falling down her cheek before she wipes it away. She wants him to turn around, but she knows if he does she'll kiss him again. They are quiet for a moment. He is tense before her. She is standing small, her arms pulled against her torso and her head down. She searches for something to say, anything to keep him there, then remembers she had left a question unanswered.

"I miss Elena because I miss how life used to be with her." He takes a breath to keeps going, knowing what he will say. "Not being second best, Klaus. That wasn't the good part. It hasn't even changed. But- the simplicity; Stefan and Damon would always be fighting over her. Ric and Jo would get married. Bonnie would be okay. Everything was so… planned." She takes a deep breath. "And I? Well, I believed you and I would end up together." She expects any sort of reaction, yet he does not move an inch, doesn't react in any way. She keeps talking just to fill the silence. "Klaus, I stopped believing I had any sort of… destiny when I got pregnant. Maybe… maybe I was happier when I believed in a future for me… and for us, but happiness isn't the answer anymore. It's not realistic." He moves his head slightly to the side so he can see her out of the corner of her eye. She recognizes hope fluttering through her chest. Evidently, though, he decides to stay facing the door.

"I'm sure there was a time you believed vampires, werewolves - your whole life - was unrealistic, too." He stalks away, footsteps light. Caroline reaches a hand out, as if to stop him, but he is long gone.

 _ **~PAGE BREAK~**_

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Broken glass crunches under his shoe, and the bundle he holds in his clutches his shirt. He tries to ignore it, tries to forget what he's holding. A blue bottle rolls across the alleyway, making a sound that's louder than it should be in the night. He rolls his eyes. "Enough with the dramatics already Akuchi. I haven't got all night." A cloaked figure steps out from behind a dumpster, somewhat ruining the aesthetic of it all, in Kol's opinion. The bundle makes soft noises that he swears he can feel vibrate against him.

"I will take him." The figure says, removing her cloak and holding out her arms. She's a pretty little thing, her hair thick and kinky, bursting from her head in wild tendrils. She speaks with a thick French accent, a little off from how actual French people speak. Kol wonders when she had turned to black magic. He subconsciously pulls the bundle towards his chest.

"You won't hurt him?" The witch laughs, and it is a frightening one. Kol does his best to remain unbothered, but it sends a chill through him.

"That is funny." She says once she is finished. "You offer this child for a sacrifice, yet you worry about him being hurt."

"You have an odd sense of humor." She observes the clench in his jaw, the way he looks away, the way his fingers tighten on the blanket in his arms.

"Do not fear me hurting him. You will be the one to do it."  
"I- what?" F small hand fists his shirt.  
"You. You must slit his throat. As well as the other two." Kol is quiet, so she keeps speaking. Another terrifying laugh escapes her. She steps closer with her arms still extended. "Magic has a price, vampire."  
"I'm already paying you three mil and two dark objects." She takes the baby from his arms, and Kol barely loosens up enough for her to take it. "Aren't there supposed to be four of you?" She peers into the bundle, tapping the baby's face with a single finger. Kol flinches.

"We do not meet clients together. We need two days in order prepare the ritual that will bring the girl home. That is sufficient time to retrieve the other sacrifices?" Kol nods, looking slightly pale. "We require a place of power. You know of one?"  
"Will the birthsite of my brothers child suffice?" He supplies readily. A grin is the only response he receives, but the way her lip pulls back leaves him think of it as more of a snarl. "Then I'll be going now." He turns, and he's almost made it out before she speaks. He stops in his tracks, watching the streetlight.

"What is his name?"  
"He hasn't got one. Probably for the best, anyways."

"You think because he has no name and because he is sick it will be easy. That is far from the truth." Kol doesn't show any sign that he had heard her. His footsteps echo in the alley as he takes his leave. The baby's cries start as soon as he hits the sidewalk. They are still ringing in his ears when he tries to sleep.

 **Hey guys! I finally found some motivation when I basically started the chapter from scratch, so I finally have it done :) thank you so much for being patient and I hope you enjoyed. Please leave reviews telling me your thoughts, good or bad!**  
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